USGBC Walks Their Talk

by Heather Livingston
Contributing Editor

Summary: The U.S. Green Building Council’s new DuPont Circle headquarters in Washington, D.C., has achieved the highest LEED® rating for its interiors. The Platinum Commercial Interiors office suite was designed by the D.C. office of Perkins + Will. “The USGBC wanted a place that would further their mission,” says Lead Designer Gretchen Leigh. “They’re all about educating the community about sustainable design, and they’re a very energetic, forward-thinking, innovative organization, so they wanted a place that would reflect those ideas. They wanted to show the community that the place didn’t necessarily have to look any different than a conventionally designed space; that it could be ‘crisp, but not crunchy.’”

Walking the talk
The USGBC’s new 22,000-square-foot headquarters occupies the third floor of the renovated Service Employees International Union building, which earned LEED Gold for New Construction last month. “The phenomenal growth of the council’s membership and corresponding increase in staff mirrors the growth of the practice of green building,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO, and founding chair of USGBC. “We wanted to walk our talk by providing a highly functional, healthy, and enjoyable work environment. As the developers of the LEED rating system, it was very important for USGBC’s headquarters to be in a LEED certified space.”

In its previous location, the organization’s 75 employees were spread across multiple floors. USGBC wanted its new facility to house employees on one floor, with all common spaces centrally located to provide opportunities for impromptu collaboration among departments. To define the spaces and bring an element of the outdoors in, Perkins + Will incorporated low-height planters that run entirely through the open workstation area, says Leigh. “The plants look so beautiful. They’re really lush, everybody has access to them, and it helps organize the space. You feel like you’re outside.”

Built on an open plan
Leigh says that, initially, employees were concerned about having an open floor plan, fearing that it would diminish their privacy and make business calls difficult, but they now embrace the arrangement. The open workspace offers employees abundant natural daylight and operable windows, with 93 percent of the spaces having a view to the outdoors. Natural daylight and outdoor views have been associated with higher rates of productivity and collaboration, two pluses that Fedrizzi notes have already taken effect.

Sustainable measures incorporated in the USGBC project include reusing office furniture from their previous space. Glass panels and millwork from the previous building tenants were given new life in the pantry and copy room, as was the existing terrazzo flooring in the elevator lobby. Rapidly renewable bamboo, linoleum, and cork flooring are installed throughout the space, along with fully recyclable carpet tiles. Recyclable ceiling tiles were used to dampen sound in the open workspaces. All lighting products were engineered for high efficiency and low energy use, and individual task lights allow employees to control the amount of light within their work area. To address water conservation, the new office uses 40 percent less water than a standard office due to the installation of low-flow plumbing fixtures, dual-flush toilets, and waterless urinals.

The materials used in the USGBC’s headquarters were chosen both for their aesthetic contribution and green attributes. Leigh notes that one of the most interesting spaces in the project is an elliptical conference room created from wood timbers that were salvaged from a 1940s steel mill. One of the few spaces without a direct view to the outside, the room’s resin panels exude warmth and light while the timbers provide a tactile connection to nature.

Flexible and multi-functional
To make the most of their facility and use resources wisely, USGBC asked Perkins + Will to design spaces that will be flexible and multi-functional. To that end, the main conference room has an operable wall that can divide the room in two. The library is dual-functioning as the lunch room and can be rearranged to accommodate after-hours events, notes Leigh. In addition, many USGBC employees travel frequently, so those dormant offices are used as conference rooms in their absence. “Because most staff members are in workstations now, that gives people a private place to meet without having a [dedicated] conference room that sits empty a lot of the time,” says Leigh.

The key to a sustainable project is that the team is integrated

Leigh says that because the entire team was on the same page with regard to implementing sustainable strategies, the design process was straightforward and fun. “The key to a sustainable project is that the team is integrated, which was really easy on this project because everyone was so excited about it,” she enthuses.

To further their goal of educating the community about sustainable design and showcase green building principles, tours of the USGBC headquarters suite will be available to the public. Through the tours, the new office demonstrates to the public how environmentally preferred green materials and highly efficient systems can transform an ordinary office space into an extraordinary place to work and learn.