Columbus, Ind.-based Cummins Inc. last week began moving employees into its new office building in downtown Columbus. The four-story, 100,000-square-foot facility will eventually house more than 500 Cummins employees.

The new building was constructed on a portion of the former Commons Mall site, and is designed to be part of larger downtown development project, along with the new Commons, and a new hotel and conference center.

“Cummins is committed to downtown Columbus and we are proud to expand our presence with this state-of-the-art facility, which along with the new Commons, and hotel and conference center will help further strengthen downtown Columbus,” said Mark Gerstle, vice president and chief administrative officer.

The office building will primarily house employees from the company’s various corporate organizations, with corporate recruiting, purchasing and corporate communications — along with some members of the Cummins Power Generation staff — to be the first groups to move to the facility.

The new building will allow Cummins to consolidate its office employees in the area into significantly fewer locations. The company’s headquarters building nearby has been at capacity for some time and Cummins currently houses employees in a number of smaller leased spaces throughout Columbus.

The facility was designed to earn the designation as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver-rated sustainable building by the U.S. Green Building Council. The LEED designation is given to buildings that reflect the principles of environmental stewardship when it comes to site selection, water, and energy efficiency, materials use and indoor environmental quality. The new building would be the first Cummins location in the U.S. to earn the LEED Silver designation.

“Not only will the new facility allow us to organize our employees in Columbus more efficiently and give us room to grow in the future, but it has been designed in a way that is consistent with the company’s commitment to the environment and to the realization of downtown,” said Todd Clark, director of global real estate.

Cummins is a corporation of complementary business units that design, manufacture, distribute and service engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission solutions and electrical power generation systems.