Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. moved into its new 48,000 square foot Parachute field office last week.

The office provides space to 240 employees and has the capacity to expand to as many as 345. It is the largest Encana field office in North America.  A variety of energy efficiency features make the three-story building 22 percent more energy efficient than a similarly sized building without the same features.  This includes 31 percent less in electrical demand and 25 percent less in natural gas use.

Among the energy efficiency measures are sensors that control the use of lights, heating and air conditioning, and computers.  The building utilizes natural light, while the double paned windows keep the heat out.

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 31, Darrin Henke, vice president of Encana’s South Rockies Business Unit, noted that, “In our ten years operating in the Piceance Basin, our operations have grown significantly.  As a result, we have outgrown our current office space.  This new building will provide accommodation for our current staff, as well as providing for future growth.”  He went on to note that the new office solidifies Encana’s commitment as a strategic business partner in local communities in the Grand Valley area.

The office is located off of County Road 215 and Parachute Parkway and provides easy access from Interstate 70.  “In planning this new office, we worked to ensure the location was ideal for the community and to mitigate traffic and congestion in the local area,” said Henke.

Construction began last January, with 80 percent of the work done by local, Western Colorado contractors.

“We worked to ensure that when choosing our architects and general contractors that they were committed to using local labor and tradesmen to the greatest extent possible. The majority of our contractors live and work in the Rifle and Parachute/Battlement Mesa communities,” said Henke.

The overall cost of the building was $20 million, including $6 million provided by Encana for the interiors. The building is owned by Shea Properties and Encana has a 20-year lease.   Davis Partnerships served as the architect and GE Johnson was the general contractor.  Project One was the project manager and QE Design Source did the interior space planning.  Eric Olsen, office services lead for Encana, managed the project internally.

Encana operates over 3,000 wells in the Piceance Basin and is currently running five drilling rigs in the area.