Sigma building has positive environmental impact
Milwaukee
The Sigma Group worked with the Sixteenth Street Community Health Center (SSCHC) to evaluate the impact of Sigma’s development of a former brownfield property on Canal Street in Milwaukee’s Menomonee River Valley (MRV).
The team also evaluated the impact of the relocation of Sigma’s corporate offices from Oak Creek, Wisconsin, to the Canal Street site. The evaluation was conducted in two phases, with the initial phase looking at readily measurable parameters and the second phase evaluating less quantifiable parameters. The analysis was part of a broader ongoing effort, the Menomonee Valley Benchmarking Initiative, which seeks to evaluate conditions of the MRV and track the impact of revitalization efforts.
Sigma’s development brought significant positive environmental impact to the MRV. Cleaning up and removing contaminated soil, improving stormwater quality and quantity through landscape design and increasing the amount of greenspace and tree canopy produced immediate and long-term environmental benefits.
The new corporate offices employ sustainable design techniques to limit energy consumption while simultaneously creating a more inviting work environment. Sigma incorporated into the building design more daylighting to allow for less artificial lighting, low flow drainage fixtures to save water and a high-efficiency heating and cooling system to reduce building air emissions. By utilizing more native vegetation in the landscape plan, Sigma reduced lawnmower usage and emissions, and the need for pesticides and fertilizer.
Sigma employees have shorter commute times on average to the Canal Street location, thereby reducing vehicle emissions. The new location also allows employees increased options for public transportation, as well as the Hank Aaron State Trail to bike to work.
Further, Sigma continues to impact the MRV economically through real estate and tax revenue values, number of professional jobs per acre and security and aesthetic improvements to the Valley. Several local companies have new business from Sigma, and the new location allows Sigma employees to patronize local restaurants and shops.