Vestas announced plans to relocate its North American HQ in Portland to a new building, which will achieve LEED Platinum certified, and will be adapted to accommodate 250 employees, featuring latest energy saving technology and "ecoproof" terrace and gardens.

Construction activities on the existing structure of the building will begin in October this year, while Vestas expects its employees to officially move in in 2012. To keep things even cleaner, the roof will be packed with solar panels. The total cost of this project is about USD 66 million. Vestas says this is a long term relocation investment.

The building will feature several advanced technologies such as rainwater collection for reuse, under-floor mechanical ventilation, insulated exterior walls and windows, as well as a central atrium which will provide natural lighting.

The building could eventually be adapted to accommodate as many as 850 people.

This is a strong indicator of the company's aim to remain strong in the North American wind energy market. The company reassessed projections for 2010, after announcing a USD 153 million loss, which has caused a 26% peak drop in share value, even though Vestas has received a significany amount of new orders in 2010.

[source: Vestas]