The State of California's DGS Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is Fresno’s first commercial office building to be awarded LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for incorporating significant sustainability measures into its design. Owner and Developer, Geil Family, LLC in cooperation with the State of California’s commitment to sustainable design has set an example of what can be designed to save energy and money.
The new building illustrates how building owners are able to work with the State of California Department of General Services, Leasing and Planning Section to provide environmentally responsible facilities for State agencies that lease office space. These types of projects demonstrate DGS and CDCR’s continued commitment to reducing facility operational costs by utilizing energy-conservation strategies at the parole unit buildings.
The new 12,587 square foot office building located downtown on the corner of Divisadaro and “G” Street, achieved the prestigious LEED GOLD Certification for incorporating significant energy savings. The building uses 40% less electricity and water than a typical building of its size due to sustainable measures. The building has a light colored roof to reflect Fresno’s summer heat, waterless urinals, automatic light and motion sensors, higher grade insulation, native plants that require minimal water, building materials with high content of recycled materials that were manufactured locally to save on fuel emissions, as well as using green janitorial cleaning chemicals and systems. By using less energy and water, LEED certified buildings save money for families, businesses and taxpayers; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and contribute to a healthier environment for employees, residents, and the community-at-large.
To build a project like this, the General Contractor, Musson General Contracting, had to have a team of design professionals that were committed to building a sustainable project. The California Department of General Services negotiated the build-to-suit lease to ensure the building accomplished at least a LEED Silver certification which equates to earning a certain number of points that are related to green building practices. With the help of the LEED Accredited Professional, Michelle Musson, along with a team of professional contractors and designers (DLP Associates, Glumac Engineers, Precision Civil Engineering, and Bigler and Assoc. Landscape Architect), the project achieved enough points to meet the even higher LEED Gold requirements. To accomplish this task, Musson used a Design Build approach and took the initial vision of a sustainable project and in turn, designed and constructed a well-built energy-saving building for the developer. The key, Musson believes, is to have a well organized team that understands the whole-building concept of sustainability and is committed to green building practices, so increased costs are at a minimum. The team also invited PG&E into the design phase of the project using the Savings by Design Program which gives money to projects that incorporate energy savings.
On November 4, 2011, the project was presented with the LEED Gold plaque by USGBC National and the Fresno Green certificate by the City of Fresno at the ribbon cutting ceremony. Following the ribbon cutting and plaque/certificate presentations, an eager audience was given a tour of the building to see the LEED credits and savings in action. A picture tour is provided below:
1 comment:
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Innovation In Design Leed
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