Project Name: 

Building 6

Project Square Footage (ft²):

 60,000 SF

Year Built:

1998

Green Building Certifications: 

LEED Pilot Project

Project Team: 

Gardner+Pope Architects, RAY Engineering, Watson Engineers, Jendoco Construction

 

Please provide a brief description of the project.

Two story 60,000 SF speculative office building that was one of the twelve LEED Pilot Projects. It uses a raised floor HVAC system to deliver comfort with reduced energy consumption. The building owners required that Building 6 visually harmonize with the other buildings on the campus. The floor plan maximizes the landlord's ability to accommodate different tenant layouts over time, a key requirement for the projection.

 

How did the building's team work together to address sustainability and building performance?

The architects managed the efforts of the engineers and the contractor so that they reached their sustainability metric goals. The simplicity of the building did not require much else.

 

What were major challenges in the project related to building performance and how did the project team work to overcome them?

Meeting the budget while also delivering an energy-efficient HVAC system. Meeting the owner's requirement for the building facade to be visually compatible with the other buildings on the site - long horizontal bands of white wall and black window.

 

What are the project's key sustainability features?

Raised floor HVAC system.

 

What are your main take-aways or lessons learned from this project? Have these lessons informed other projects?

The HVAC system can work if properly utilized. A low cost project can achieve a certain level of sustainability.

 

What was the intended or actual impact of the project on its users or the surrounding community?

The project was intended to be the first LEED office building. However, the owner did not choose to use a white roof that would have reflected solar gain and this, failed to meet the need score to reach LEED certification by one point. The building is still offering tenant space. It has change ownership but remains a player in the western suburb market.