The Utah Clean Energy Climate Innovation Center project is an adaptive reuse of a 3,000-square-foot, single‑story structure, originally comprised of unreinforced CMU block walls and a steel truss frame. Located in downtown Salt Lake City, the urban infill site would typically be slated for demolition, but was instead reused and transformed into an example of a climate-wise, energy‑efficient design.

Since 2001, Utah Clean Energy has promoted clean energy and sustainable building practices, aiming to educate the public and influence policymakers to enact change. The Climate Innovation Center was initially conceived as a living laboratory that demonstrates methodologies for achieving net-zero energy use and the benefits of adaptive reuse.

In addition to providing the headquarters with administrative spaces for Utah Clean Energy’s staffing and operations, the facility is also an asset to the community, serving as a teaching tool and a space open to the public to engage with to help inform current and future building projects.

In parallel with the project’s sustainability goals, the Climate Innovation Center prioritizes a contextually sensitive design solution, providing a dynamic new façade that engages the street frontage and creates a dialogue between old and new.