For three years, Deanna Carr has overseen construction on the Elements Building, her dream at the south end of Second Street in downtown.

The result is sustainable, ambitious and eye-catching.

It hasn’t been an easy path for Carr, but with the doors open on the 7 Stones holistic spa downstairs and Strega restaurant and bar at the top, she couldn’t be happier.

“We were creating something that would be here for a long time, but also to add to Corvallis rather than take it away,” she said. “I am having a wonderful time with this. That’s the best part.”

Elements is set to receive silver-level LEED certification for using sustainable materials and local labor to construct the building.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is a program of the U.S. Green Building Council started to encourage and verify building practices.

Inside the 27,500-square-foot building are walls of recycled glass tile, reclaimed wood wall and ceiling treatments, a rooftop garden and water features on every floor.

Work on the Elements Building began in 2005, with construction expected to be completed in the fall of that year. But when Carr opted to seek special environmental certification for her building, both the construction timetable and the construction budget expanded considerably.

Originally, Carr said the new building would cost $4 million. Later, she said the construction budget grew to $10 million. By the time it opened in April, Carr said the cost had risen to $20 million.

It didn’t help that the price of steel doubled after construction began. That made her most basic building block twice the cost of the original budget.

That caused a ripple effect for all building materials including concrete and interior finishes.

But the LEED certification process meant she couldn’t offset costs by using cheaper fiberboard or other less expensive materials.

“Anyone that is approaching LEED certification needs to do a lot of homework and be committed to the end result,” Carr said. “It’s been a long time.”

The building houses two businesses, both operated by Carr: 7 Stones Spa and Strega.

The spa features the hair and nail salons found in most other beauty establishments. It’s upstairs that 7 Stones sets itself apart.

Away from the bustle of busy stylists and the reception desk, Carr has created a multi-room “holistic healing center” complete with acupuncture, a wall of herbal elements and adjustable LED lighting to set the mood for treatments.

On the penthouse level, Strega features local ingredients served with a view different from any Corvallis restaurant. From seven stories up, diners can take in the city from above. In good weather, the doors open onto two west-facing patios.

“It’s great to get to open the doors and share it with everybody,” Carr said. “And, I’ve got the fastest elevator in town.”

Matt Neznanski can be reached at 758-9518 or matt.neznanski@lee.net