The two Barrus Piano buildings at 2007 McClelland St. are getting a green facelift - one that goes beyond changing the paint color of their faded, cream-and-red exteriors.

Green Earth Development, a new real estate development company with headquarters in Sugar House, has been tasked with renovating the buildings in a way that minimizes the buildings' impact on the environment. The owner is Oak Street Partners, which purchased the property from Barrus Piano in September.

Construction begins this month on the building closest to McClelland Street. Green Earth Development plans to move its offices into the building in December and use the space as a showroom for its consulting services and as a resource center for books and information on green building techniques. Barrus Piano will lease the second building until it relocates next spring and then that building, too, will get an earth-friendly upgrade.

"Within five to 10 years it will be fairly mainstream that people will be doing green" construction projects, said Michael Jeppesen, president of Green Earth Development. "We want to get out there first and be the [company] people think of when they want to build green."

Jeppesen's partner, Mark Richards, said they hope to make the buildings at least 60 percent more energy-efficient by adding a high-efficiency mechanical system, double-paned windows, insulation and compact fluorescent lighting with sensors that detect how much light is needed and whether someone is in a room. They also are including "sun tunnels," skylights that will bring more daylight into the buildings.

Green Earth also plans to redo the building interiors with paints that release minimal amounts of Volatile Organic Compounds, or VOCs, carpet with 40 percent recycled content and floors made of cork, a natural flooring material that is more readily replenished than hardwood. Bathrooms will have low-flow toilets and sinks that turn on and off with motion sensors. At least half of all construction waste will be salvaged for reuse or recycled.

Jeppesen, who has a majority interest in Oak Street Partners, said the project's cost, including the purchase price of the property, will be about $500,000. Building green is more expensive, he said, but the building's value will be greater.

"What we are talking about is helping building owners reduce their operating costs," said Richards, Green Earth's vice president and director of development.

"In this market, we can reduce those costs by 8 percent to 9 percent annually, [and] increase a building's value by 7.5 percent," he added, citing a 2006 report by McGraw Hill Construction. Energy-saving measures implemented during the project may also qualify Green Earth for rebates from Rocky Mountain Power.

Clio Miller, an intern architect with Salt Lake City firm GSBS, is a consultant on the project and said renovating an old building, in itself, is a green building practice.

"The most green thing is to build a building that will last 100 years and to reuse a building that's already been here that long."