Green Office Design

Enhancing the office environment

By Yardi Blog Staff on Aug 27, 2013 in News

A new generation of highly-efficient buildings, focused on carbon reduction and livability, demonstrate that smart living calls for tech and green combined.

The green building movement is not limited to new construction projects; green principles can be easily incorporated into existing environments as well by overhauling interiors, using eco-friendly materials and supplies, and educating on green practices.

Installing solar panels and occupancy sensors, putting in better insulation, using energy star-rated appliances or energy-efficient light bulbs are only a few of the improvements that property owners can make in order to green their offices without building from the ground up.

DPR Construction, a national technical builder specializing in highly complex and sustainable projects, has achieved net-zero energy consumption in its Phoenix Regional Office, a 40-year old building located in the Discovery Triangle. The outfit has been officially certified as a Net-Zero Energy Building (NZEB) by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) through its Living Building Challenge (SM) program, making it the largest building in the world and only the second in the United States to achieve NZEB certification to date.

“Net-zero is possible, even in one of the most extreme climates in the country,” said Dave Elrod, Regional Manager, DPR Construction. “We purposely chose a building that was nearing the end of its intended life cycle in a redeveloping area to show our commitment to Phoenix and to demonstrate the impact revitalization can have on an urban environment. This building is another proof point of our ability to walk the walk of sustainability. Our Phoenix office will be a ‘living lab’ where anyone can see firsthand how our sustainable technologies work together in real life.”

Among several outstanding enhancements, the high-profile office building includes operable windows that work in tandem with the energy monitoring system to open and close based on the relative indoor and outdoor temperatures; an 87-foot zinc clad solar chimney which creates a convection current to release hot air out of the building while drawing cooler air in; Isis® Big Ass® Fans that enable free air flow within the office; rapidly renewable wood products; and Solatube®, a tubular daylighting  system  that nearly eliminates the need for artificial daytime lighting.

In addition, the open space environment encourages creativity and collaboration among co-workers by using only glass walls, plyboo-slat walls and plantings to mark conference and meeting areas. DPR employees are encouraged to take breaks at their onsite gym, two green-screened courtyards, café, or wine bar.

By adopting green principles, companies can play their part in protecting the environment while also reducing costs for the organization in the long run. Here are five ways you can green your own office through building upgrades:

Keep a track of energy usage. Installing monitoring software allows occupants to get feedback on how much energy they are using in real-time. An innovative system such as the Lucid Building Dashboard® used by DPR’s offices in San Diego, Phoenix, Raleigh Durham and Newport Beach enables owners and employees to view, compare, and share building energy and water use information on the web.

Use outside air to cool your building. Natural ventilation systems can help keep your building cool and comfortable while reducing energy consumption and lowering utility costs.

Make the most of natural light. In addition to reducing the need for electric lighting and the costs associated to it, natural light acts as a productivity booster, reduces eye fatigue and improves performance on visual tasks. DPR installed 82 Solatubes® in their Phoenix office. These inventive tubular devices are used to harness sunlight and diffuse it brilliantly through the interior space.

Install a photovoltaic canopy over your parking lot. One of the biggest advantages of installing a photovoltaic-covered parking canopy is that it generates power from the sun, reducing the building’s footprint while effectively cooling cars under the canopy. DPR’s photovoltaic-covered parking controls the indoor environment naturally and produces energy onsite, generating 180,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per year.

Watch out for energy vampires. Many of our electronic devices consume energy even when they are turned off (i.e. computer monitor, laptop, or cell phone chargers). On a national basis, standby power accounts for more than 100 billion kilowatt hours of annual U.S. electricity consumption and more than $10 billion in annual energy costs, studies show. DPR installed a vampire shut-off switch in their Phoenix office which disconnects 90 percent of phantom plug-loads at the end of each workday, saving money and energy. The last person exiting the building is responsible for activating this switch.