The Great Green Way

Sustainable building and design have gone mainstream in Southern California. What was once the domain of public entities using state and federal funding, sustainable or green building is now being used by developers of office space as a way to set themselves apart in a crowded market.

Developers and building owners are also building green office space that offers environmentally friendly features, such as low-emission carpets and motion sensors to regulate light use.

"A few years ago there were only a few select distributors offering eco-friendly office products," says Winston Bao, an associate and LEED-certified interior designer with LPA in Irvine. "Today, it's mainstream. There are more companies to meet the demand for products."Bao says that with the increased competition, consumers are not paying as huge a premium for sustainable products as they used to. For example, he cites the cost of fluorescent light bulbs, which, at one time, cost 20% more than traditional bulbs. Currently, the cost of fluorescent bulbs is the same as traditional ones at many retailers. Bao says these bulbs could save 10% to 15% in energy costs over the life of the product.

Companies offer furniture made from sustainably harvested woods and recycled, bio-based or non-toxic materials. These products are being made with glues, paints, foams and other ingredients that don't give off noxious odors.

Traditionally furniture making has been a problematic source of emissions. In terms of air pollution, traditional manufacturing creates emissions of volatile organic compounds from glues, finishes and stains. VOCs are a major contributor to indoor air pollution.More sustainable solutions include powder-based finishing coats, which are not only VOC-free, but require less energy and create less waste."Our goal is that every project can be a green project," Bao says. "When I design a space, I am trying to create a healthier work environment."

In terms of sustainable furniture, he says consumers have to evaluate how it was made and what its core materials are. For example, is an eco-friendly desk made out of recycled steel? Does it use plastic laminate? Is it made in a factory that recycles its water, or is it made locally?

Bao explains that when the LPA offices in Irvine were designed they purchased eco-friendly products—most of them locally—so they didn't need to be transported by truck.

"We have 180 work stations," he says. "All of them were purchased locally, which meant they didn't have to be put on a semi and brought to us. Also none of the stations came in boxes, but instead were blanket wrapped."

Sustainable Building

An early example of sustainable building by the public sector was the Inland Empire Utilities Agency. Based in Chino, the municipal water district spent more than $10 million to build its green headquarters in 2003.

The two buildings, which total 66,000 sf of office space, feature solar roof panels that produce 60,000 watts, enough electricity for half a building. Besides solar panels, the facility uses recycled water in its toilets and features motion-activated room lights.The agency's environmentally friendly headquarters is about the size of 40 average homes in California, but uses the electricity of approximately three to four homes.

A new office complex is being planned in Beverly Hills, where developer George Comfort & Sons has submitted an application to demolish an existing office building and replace it with an environmentally sustainable complex that would house the William Morris Agency.

The proposed headquarters, at 231-265 N. Beverly Dr., would be the first LEED-certified building built in the city. Robert Jernigan, principal and managing director of Santa Monica-based Gensler architects, the project's designer, says that although the developer was very receptive to building a sustainable building, William Morris had actually mandated it.

Jernigan, a LEED-accredited architect, says it was important for the William Morris Agency to be housed in a sustainable building as a matter of company policy, and due to the fact that Jim Wiatt, its president and co-CEO, was on the board of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The new building will be 208,100 sf, with 177,225 sf of office space on floors two through six. William Morris would occupy the entire space. The building also includes 30,875 sf of retail.

"There are three kinds of customers," Jernigan explains. "One that has a long-term view and realizes the payback in three to four years; a company that is very image-conscious and sees a competitive advantage to using sustainable building; [and] the third type is the company that doesn't know what business is going to be like in three years and doesn't want to discuss sustainable building."

In Pasadena, construction has begun on NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory's (JPL) first LEED-certified building. JPL's Flight Projects Center has been designed to meet the LEED benchmarks for design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.

The Flight Projects Center will host a variety of environmentally friendly features including Energy Star-rated appliances, a high-efficiency Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system, water conservation fixtures and an auditorium featuring a landscaped roof.

"We broke ground in May and the project is expected to be completed in 2009," says Keith Hempel, a LEED-certified associate with LPA. "This project will be smart in its use of energy and water. The design will minimize [the building's] impact on the environment."

Sustainable features include:

• A cost-saving HVAC under-floor displacement ventilationsystem at the auditorium that delivers conditioned air just above floor level.
• Fixtures that promote water conservation, including waterless urinals, dual-valve water closets, and low-flow faucets and showerheads.
• Strategically placed rooftop plants and ground coverings that help to reduce noise, HVAC usage and the heat island effect.

In San Diego, Baker says sustainable building is relatively new, but he expects more eco-friendly housing and office to be built now that costs have come down and more of the marketplace is aware of it.The first LEED-certified product in Carlsbad will be completed in mid-January. That project is the Towers at Bressi Ranch, which will developed by Ryan Cos. and designed by Smith Consulting, Baker says.It is a 21-acre, master-planned project that includes 280,000 sf of industrial/flex and stand-alone office condos ranging from 1,800 sf to 5,000 sf.

It is located within Bressi Ranch Corporate Center, a 132-acre, high-quality, mixed-use business park that, upon completion, will accommodate up to 2.1 million sf of development.

Jernigan says the increase in sustainable building is due to a change in our culture. "In the past we were just building things, we didn't think about [the impact on the environment]," he says. "The single biggest shift is that we look at our buildings and ask ourselves if we can get better usage out of them and what the world is going to look like in 10 years."