HNI Corporation

Green building to reflect corporate mission
HNI Corporation takes its corporate citizenship seriously, beginning with caring for the environment. Naturally, when the company decided to relocate its corporate headquarters to accommodate their growth, the US Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System topped their list of priorities. The project achieved silver level certification.

One of the LEED highlights of the project is the building's storm water management plan. Despite being in an urban environment, it uses bioswales, a system of trenches with native plantings that significantly reduce storm water runoff and allow subsurface infiltration to limit the pollution of natural water flows. Another key building feature — the use of daylight — also helped with indoor environmental quality credits. With 115 exterior windows, large skylights, glass walls, and numerous floor openings, the design maximized interior daylight and provided a direct line of daylight sight for 90% of HNI's employees.