36 California Buildings News • Q3 2019
USGBC Awards (Continued from page 14) from energy use, through rigorous attention during project planning, taking strategic action to promote low-carbon performance through building certifications and committing to ongoing measurement. To be considered for this award, eligible projects had to meet the following criteria: u Demonstrate ambition and success in eliminating fossil fuels from the project’s energy mix u Track and report carbon emissions on the project for at least one year u Pursue decarbonization through continuous improvement over time u Have LEED certification, and optionally other green building certifications, to conform to best practices in the industry u Be located in the Pacific region states (California, Washington, Oregon, Hawaii or Alaska) u Complete the project within the past 1–3 years
Recipients of the Leadership Awards for decarbonization: The John Ferraro Building (JFB), a historic midcentury building in downtown Los Angeles, serves as the headquarters for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the largest municipal utility in the United States. Built in the mid-1960s, JFB is an all-electric building that is now in the midst of pursuing LEED Zero for energy. In 2015, JFB achieved LEED certification in time for its 50th anniversary. A year later, JFB achieved LEED Gold. (Photo on page 14.) JFB’s journey into a green building was spearheaded by a team of in-house engineers, architects and building operations personnel who implemented aggressive energy efficiency measures such as lighting retrofits and controls, chiller replacement and fan system upgrades. JFB is a symbol and testament to LADWP’s transformation into a provider of
clean energy and a locally sustainable and resilient water supply for Los Angeles. Arch Nexus SAC, a small commercial building in Sacramento, an all-electric, net positive energy building. This adaptive reuse of an existing building removed natural gas and employs Energy Use Intensity (EUI)–reducing measures such as daylighting, natural ventilation and ultraef-ficient workstations to achieve an EUI of 26, a fraction of the national average. This small energy footprint is more than offset with an on-site PV array producing 170% of this office’s annual energy usage. These decarbonization measures and many others, have helped Arch Nexus SAC to become one of the first buildings in the world to achieve both LEED v4 Platinum for new construction and LEED v4 Platinum for existing buildings. Arch Nexus SAC is also California’s first Certified Living Building. Mutual Housing at Spring Lake, a multi-family complex in Woodland, is an all-electric community with enough solar panels to offset the designed energy need annually. The buildings earned LEED For Homes Platinum and is also certified by the U.S. Department of Energy as a zero net energy project. Mutual Housing California asserts that “The Green Divide” will only be closed if low-income and non-English-speaking households are connected with affordable access to green technology. The housing community serves agricultural workers, and by doing so, advances equity for the cost-burdened, lowwage workers who are most often shut out of the residential market, yet are crucial to the success of Yolo County’s $635 million agricultural industry. Mutual Housing at Spring Lake Phase 2 completed construction in May 2019, adding another 39 units of all-electric net positive energy affordable housing. This phase is also seeking LEED Platinum certification. n
Future Insights (Continued from page 2) California: Pebble in the World Pond It always delights me to hear so many people at international buildings conferences say how they look to California for guidance on many issues concerning the design and operation of buildings. And, in fact, our state’s aggressive green and safety policies are driving healthier product design for companies that want to sell their products in our huge marketplace...the 5th largest in the world!
Know the Macro Impacts on Buildings Sector Real estate, construction, architecture and all the products that go into buildings easily constitute the largest sector of the U.S. economy, so macroeconomic influences are all-important. From your city to the world, you should track economic developments and the political impacts that shape these. Look to industry associations for guidance, such as AIA (www.aia.org), BOMA (www.boma.org), CoreNet (www.corenetglobal.org) and IREM (www.irem.org). — Henry Eason