Yellowknife (Mar 03/04) - The Yellowknife office of PCL Constructors Northern Inc. has been awarded an $18 - million contract for the construction of the new federal building on Franklin Avenue.

Construction is expected to be underway in April, said PCL Constructors Northern Inc. project manager John Droog.

The project will generate 30 jobs over the entire duration of the project, including hiring contractors such as Ryfan Electric.

The building will be a concrete structure that will be energy efficient and constructed in an environmentally friendly manner, said Droog.

"It's a special building. The plan is that the building will be LEED certified by completion. What LEED means is leadership in energy and environmental design. Basically it's a green building rating system," said Droog.

"The federal building is expected to achieve approximately $70,000 per year in energy savings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by some 372 tonnes per year," said federal Public Works and Government Services Minister Stephen Owen, in a news release issued Feb. 26.

The four-storey, 7,000- square-metre building was designed through a broad consultative process with territorial, city and community groups. The building is expected to house approximately 200 employees from several different departments.

The architectural drawings for the building were done by Manasc Isaac Architects Ltd. based out of Edmonton.