"We now have everything that public works operates in one location, and we don't have to operate out of multiple sites," Dave Van Vooren, the city's public works director, tells GlobeSt.com. "It's a significant improvement on efficiency for our work employees, therefore bringing great service to our residents in a faster time frame." The city's previous facility was located further from its downtown area, and was 50 years old.

Since the old building was constructed, Naperville's population has skyrocketed to 140,000, making it the fifth-largest city in the state. As the population grew, so too did the municipality's public works needs, making its former facility out-grown and out-of-date.

"Naperville has been one of the fastest growing municipalities for years, and this improves their operations," says Mark Tritschler, EVP with Rosemont, IL-based McShane. "This is a long-term play, it's an efficient building for their operations, and they want to be in this building for a long time. It's a good fit for the department, handles their current needs and gives them room for expansion."

The building is the first municipal building in the city to be LEED-certified. The building offers low-flow water features to conserve water and skylights to make use of natural light and reduce reliance on electricity. Construction implemented use of recycled materials from the site.

"We've used some unique things, like bio-swells for catching storm water," Van Vooren says. "We don't have an irrigation system and are using natural landscaping with plants and plant materials. We have a significant amount of greenery and trees planted along the site, and it also has a 12,000-ton salt dome for use by our public works people during our winter operations."