IMCO General Construction announced its office building and headquarters in Ferndale has been given LEED certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The LEED system—LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design—rates and certifies building projects that incorporate sustainable construction and development practices.

The IMCO building, which was completed in the summer 2010, was designed and built by Axiom Design Build of Seattle. While Axiom has completed hundreds of “green” building projects in the Pacific Northwest, the facility in Ferndale is its first LEED-certified project.

The building includes heating and ventilation systems that optimize energy efficiency and air quality, a 16,000-gallon underground rain cistern used to capture rainwater for irrigation, and a lighting design that emphasizes natural light and outdoor views.

IMCO—founded in 1978 by Frank and Patti Imhof—is a leading Whatcom County construction firm. The company was recently placed on the Puget Sound Business Journal‘s list of 100 largest private firms in Washington state. IMCO ranked 88th with more than $76 million in revenue in 2011, according to the list.

Frank Imhof also received a “Contractor of the Year” award in 2010 from the Associated General Contractors of Washington.