Health insurance company going green with Providence headquarters

Designed by Symmes Maini & McKee Associates of Cambridge, Mass., and currently under construction by Dimeo Construction of Providence, R.I., the new Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island headquarters is seeking to gain LEED Silver certification. The 13-story, 327,000-sf office building in Providence's Capital Center Development District includes sustainable design elements such as high-performing insulated glass curtain walls to allow significant daylight into offices, and interior materials that are low-VOC emitting, rapidly renewable, and regionally developed. The headquarters also encourages green commuting—it is built next to the Providence commuter rail station and gives parking garage preference to hybrid vehicles.