(Image: Plans for Zions Bancorporation’s new technology campus in Midvale, Utah. Credit: Zions Bancorporation)[/caption] Zions Bancorporation plans to build a 400,000-square-foot technology campus in Midvale, Utah, on a former EPA Superfund site. The bank said it aims to achieve LEED Platinum certification for the sustainable building project.
From 1906 to 1971, Sharon Steel Mill had smelting and ore mining facilities at the 470-acre site, located near downtown Midvale, according to the EPA. Producing lead, copper, zinc, and other metals there contaminated the air, soil, surface water, and groundwater with heavy metals, the agency found. In 1990, the EPA put the site on its Superfund National Priorities List.
“After years and millions of dollars of remediation — including moving, lining, and capping at least 10 million cubic yards of tainted soil — the land was taken off the Superfund list in 2004,” Tony Semerad wrote in the Salt Lake Tribune on Thursday. “A top EPA official said in 2018 the site no longer poses a risk to humans or the environment.”
Financial services company Zions Bancorporation, which had an annual net revenue of $2.8 billion in 2019 and more than $70 billion of total assets, aims to complete its new campus in mid-2022. Serving as the company’s primary tech and operations center, the campus is expected to accommodate at least 2,000 employees.
Pursuing LEED Platinum certification involves strategies such as using low-VOC-emitting construction materials, triple-pane exterior glass, and ultra-efficient heating and cooling systems, according to the bank.
“More than 75% of the building’s electricity will be produced from onsite renewable solar energy,” the company said. “The campus will feature electric vehicle charging stations and will offer proximity to the Historic Gardner Village light rail station.”
Ecologically-focused design and landscaping for the property will support a regional habitat system along the Jordan River Parkway, Zions added. Employees can expect outdoor recreational opportunities, shareable bicycles, locker and shower facilities, and an onsite café, the financial services company said.
“This environment-friendly campus will help us attract the best technology talent in the country while also reducing our overall facilities costs,” said Harris H. Simmons, Zions Bancorporation chairman and CEO.
