Chilling out by the quarry

But Boston Properties’ senior vice president, Jon Randall, said his company tried to view the ponds as an asset when showing the former Massachusetts Broken Stone Co. property to prospective tenants.

“We knew there was a resource there,’’ Randall said. “We just couldn’t easily figure out how to use it.’’

Along came Biogen Idec Inc.

The biotechnology company, known for its multiple sclerosis treatments, wanted to relocate its Cambridge headquarters, and it was hoping to use the move as an opportunity to be more environmentally friendly.

The company, which leased the building on the quarry site in fall 2008, decided to use water from one of the ponds to cool the 356,000-square-foot building it planned to occupy. In the pond’s depths, the water remains at a fairly constant 41 degrees.

The new headquarters, opened in June, houses about 500 of Biogen Idec’s 4,750 employees. And thanks to the chilly quarry water, they enjoy a comfortable 72-degree indoor temperature, even during unrelenting summer heat.

“We essentially take water from the bottom of the pond, we pipe it up to the building and through a filtration system . . . and that water recirculates back into the pond,’’ said Ed Dondero, director of facilities and real estate. “It’s nature’s natural refrigerator.’’

Patrick McVeigh, president of Reynders, McVeigh Capital Management, a Boston company that focuses on making investments with a social impact, said there are several reasons why projects like Biogen Idec’s should be attractive to businesses: potential savings, a quick payback on the investment, and environmental benefits.

Dondero estimated that the cooling system, which eliminates the need for any type of refrigerant in the building, saves about $75,000 a year, reduces annual water use by one million gallons, and cuts yearly energy use by about 300,000 kilowatt hours — enough to power about 30 homes.

The system, he added, cost only about $700,000 more than a traditional cooling system, meaning Biogen Idec should get a return on its investment in eight to 10 years.

“It was the right thing to do,’’ he said, “given the natural resource was right there.’’

Zachary Dorsey, a spokesman for the nonprofit Water Reuse Association, which advocates for the efficient use of water, said that in recent years more businesses have shown interest in conservation.

For instance, major corporations such as General Electric Co. and Coca-Cola Co. plan to reduce the amount of water they use in manufacturing, he said.

Biogen Idec’s system is innovative, he said, because it uses an onsite natural resource, instead of depending on a third party — such as a municipal water facility.

And visitors don’t see much evidence of a system big enough to cool a four-story building. Ducks paddle along the surface of one quarry pond, its edges lined with grass and dotted with trees.

Blue herons, otters, and deer also call the ponds and the land around them home.

A modest pumping station — about as big as a one-car garage — sits to one side. From there, underground pipes draw water up, like milk through a straw.

Only inside the headquarters does the system become more visible. On the uppermost floor, there are white pipes with green labels that detail how water is pumped throughout the building. Randall and Dondero pointed out the pipes — labeled “Chilled Water Supply’’ and “Chilled Water Return’’ — during a walk-through.

“These are the pipes that are coming up from the quarry,’’ Randall said. “They come right from the basement and up to just under the roof.’’

This being New England, the air temperature outside will soon drop, kicking heating systems into action.

But Biogen Idec’s approach to climate control will be far less innovative in winter: Its headquarters relies on conventional gas heat.

Erin Ailworth can be reached at eailworth@globe.com.