With his decision to create a new steel building to house his company, one could say that the publisher of The Vancouver Columbian, Scott Campbell, cares about the environment.

But he also cares about his company's bottom line.

Campbell wasn't forced to play favorites, though, when it came to The Columbian's new $30 million building in Vancouver.

The six-story metal building is being built to Earth-friendly standards that will save dollars and cents over time. It will also be a healthier environment for employees, set to move in mid-October.

The 118,000-square-foot commercial steel building is on track to earn Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

Rated on a point system, Gold is the program's second-highest rating, said Keith Skille, project manager with GBD Architects, the building's Portland-based designer.

Publisher Campbell said he was open to the higher green rating from the outset, as long as it was fiscally practical.

"I said, 'I'm willing to spend more if we can recover the cost,'" Campbell said.

That's when Skille began introducing a series of metal building design features that offered high-energy savings.

Among them:

-- A "ground-source" heating and cooling system that draws water from an underground aquifer to circulate through the steel building's mechanical system and return to the earth.
-- Sun shades over south-facing windows to prevent direct sunlight from overheating and taxing the general steel building cooling system.
-- An "occupancy sensored" lighting system that shuts off by itself with the absence of users.
-- Additional insulation that goes beyond required standards.
-- A design that maximizes the use of natural lighting.

"We estimate the building will use 60 percent less energy than a typical (non-green) building," Skille said.

The structure is also built with about 20 percent recycled materials, including a steel building frame, wood for cabinetry and carpeting made from reusable fibers.

Campbell said that overall, he is pleased with his decision to "go green," despite some tough choices and costs along the way.