A Roanoke dental practice is bringing to the city a new form of green building that has been used elsewhere in the region.

After 20 years leasing space inside the Fountain Square office building on Second Street in Old Southwest, the offices of Drs. Lynch, Dickey and Singleton will be moving nearby into a new building currently under construction on Franklin Road.

Dr. John Singleton said the current lease was up and the office was due for a remodel anyway, so it seemed like a good time to make the move.

The dentists purchased the property for $425,000 in June 2011, according to city records.

The new office is being built using an energy efficiency standard that has been used in building residential homes in Germany.

“It’s a prototype using the passive house design” Singleton said. “If it becomes certified it will be first dental office built by passive standards in the world.”

Singleton added that the architect, Adam Cohen with Structures Design/Build, plans to have the building certified.

Roanoke City Building Commissioner Jeff Shawver said the green building techniques being used for the office have not been used elsewhere in the city.

The dentists chose to use the green building technique in part because of the high electrical costs associated with the equipment used in dental offices. By spending additional money up front, Singleton said they’ve been told that they will recoup the investment within 10 years in energy savings. It’s costing an estimated $740,000 to build the office, according to the building permit.

The new office space will be slightly larger, too, allowing the dentists to take on an additional associate in the future if needed, Singleton said.

“As Dr. Dickey and I get ready to retire … we could take on associates to buy into the practice, without us having to completely step away immediately,” he said, adding that he doesn’t foresee that happening for another decade.