FOURTH STREET LIVE!
GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION TENANT FIT-UP
Louisville, KY
When the GSA began searching for a new location for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) field office, Fourth Street Live! emerged as an ideal choice. Its central location in downtown Louisville offered both accessibility and convenience for employees and visitors. The GSA aimed to expand access to USCIS services in the region, and Fourth Street Live! provided the right setting—close to public transit, walkable amenities, and other federal facilities. Along with specific program needs, the GSA required certain sustainability requirements, specifically a LEED certification for the fit-up.
THE PROJECT
Fourth Street Live! had never pursued LEED certification before and brought in Paladin to guide the design and owner teams through sustainability strategy, credit documentation, and the certification process.
The 18,500 sq. ft. interior fitup includes new air terminal units, upgraded lighting, and reconfigured plumbing and electrical systems. The floor plan is thoughtfully organized into public and semi-public zones, including interview rooms, customer service areas, supervisory offices, FO director offices, open workstations for analysts, and dedicated back-of-house areas for support and security.
The design makes use of expansive glazed openings and high ceilings in key areas such as the public waiting room, tenant teaming space, and break rooms. The adjacent Natz Room, located near reception, hosts ceremonies, seminars, and large gatherings. Despite its quiet and focused interior environment, the project offers employees convenient access to a wide range of amenities in the surrounding downtown business district.
above: Inspirational quotes line opaque privacy walls
right: Private yet collaborative workspaces for analysts
top: Fit-up increases access to USCIS services for applicants
above left: Inspirational quotes fill walls
above right: The Natz Room where ceremonies, seminars, etc., are held
THE WORK
During planning, the project chose to pursue LEED Certification v4 Commercial Interiors. Additional project goals and objectives identified and carried throughout the project included:
1. Meet the fit-up requirements provided by the GSA.
2. Maintain the existing project budget.
3. Utilize the efficiencies inside the existing Central Utility Plant.
4. Complete building by winter 2021.
For this project, Paladin completed both LEED Administration/Sustainability Consulting and Commissioning. The project team’s first LEED for Commercial Interiors project
had a particular early goal of optimizing design credits to reduce documentation burden on anticipated contractors. Repurposing a food court presented its own design limitations, such as the one exterior-facing façade and an existing centralized heating and cooling plant. Therefore, “traditional sustainability features” like daylighting, views, and enhanced mechanical designs were not available to the project. However, the location and amenities made this project a promising LEED candidate. Out of the 19 available Location and Transportation credit points, the project was awarded 17
points for its location in a densely occupied urban environment with excellent transit opportunities, and its parking infrastructure managed to encourage use of readily available transit. Paladin addressed efficiency and indoor environmental quality by fully revamping the plumbing layout and fixture/ fitting selection to reduce consumption and focusing on minimizing energy consumption through process loads as well as connected loads. Without the availability of daylight, emphasis was placed on the quality of the interior lighting to improve the occupant experience.
top: New reception area features privacy and dramatic lighting
above left: Fit-up includes break areas for staff
above right: New kitchen features daylighting and an outdoor connection
THE IMPACT
During commissioning, the project focused on ease of operations. Construction during the pandemic impacted supply chain and labor availability, so the attention to detail and continuity brought by commissioning testing was very important to closing installation and integration gaps. Consistent follow-up revealed that items identified during testing were resolved successfully leaving USCIS, GSA, and 4th Street Live! with improved maintainability and tenant satisfaction.
Combined, the project was able to deliver on all defined objectives within the scope of control: LEED Certification, tenant fit-up requirements satisfied, project budget maintained, and utilization of the Central Utility Plant infrastructure. The pandemic forced the scheduled occupancy to shift from February to July.
ABOUT US
We coined Game changer in building systems TM because of our solid commitment to your building’s potential. Founded in 1986, Paladin is a woman-owned business that harnessed our engineering roots to deliver strategic commissioning, sustainability, and directto-owner engineering services for new and existing facilities.
The Paladin difference is a team that tells you the truth with good intent allowing you to leave status quo behind.
As paladins, we support your project, defend your goals, and champion your building’s success.
We are committed to reducing carbon emissions in every project by more than 10% through operational improvements, embodied carbon awareness, and properly operating systems.
