Sustainable building employs urban principles

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) takes a new urbanist approach with its planned Santa Monica, California, workplace. The NRDC wants to make its 15,000 sq. ft. building a showcase — not just environmentally, but also in terms of aesthetics and costs. The building is designed by new urbanists Moule & Polyzoides to get a platinum rating — the highest possible — from the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. To do so, the building must not only meet the strictest standards for internal resource use, but should be located in a pedestrian-oriented, transit-accessible, infill site. The site meets those requirements, but also has a mixed-use element and utilizes off-site neighborhood parking facilities. The retrofit of an existing building, scheduled to begin construction in October, represents a departure for the NRDC in many ways, according to Rob Watson, senior scientist with the national organization. Although NRDC has been involved in many “sustainable” building projects, they have always involved single use office buildings. In this case, the NRDC will operate a retail store and exhibit on the first floor, helping to enliven the streetscape and making the building itself a public education and relations asset. To Moule & Polyzoides’ disappointment, NRDC elected not to go a step further and build residential units in the structure — although the architects contended that such a move would be economically profitable in the long term and reduce the need for housing on greenfield sites. “We were looking at extra construction costs, a longer development time, and the prospect of being a landlord seemed like a stretch for an environmental group with a clearly defined mission,” explains Watson. environmental systems In addition to extremely efficient energy use, HVAC systems, and natural lighting, the Santa Monica office utilizes solar panels so that it will be a net energy producer during parts of the year, Watson says. The water efficiency of the building breaks new ground, he adds — and this technology is very important in the Los Angeles basin, which is essentially a desert. A cistern system will collect the first inch of rainfall on the site — recycling nearly all of the stormwater for use in toilets and watering plants. Graywater from faucets, dishwashers, and possibly showerheads will be recycled, among other conservation measures. Potable water use will be down by about 70 percent compared to a similarly sized, typical office building. Moule & Polyzoides was hired because, as urbanists, they could help NRDC think “beyond the envelope of the individual project, and look at how the building fits into the urban fabric and larger community,” Watson says. “Also, they have an elegant design sensibility — that appealed to us as well.” The building is designed to blend into its beach surroundings, Watson says. “We think it will be light on the environment, but beautiful to the eye.” The $2.67 million cost was “within the normal range” for construction in the area, Watson says — an important consideration for a nonprofit group with a limited budget and a desire to showcase new technologies as not just sustainable, but economically feasible. The design costs were somewhat higher than usual, he says, but adds that these should pay for themselves “many times over” in lower utility costs and higher value.