LEED-Registered Project Builds on Indigenous Technologies
Leo Daly and Conron & Woods complete design for N.M. retirement association headquarters

by Heather Livingston
Contributing Editor

Summary: To move forward successfully, it helps to know what’s come before. As green building is gaining mainstream momentum and new technologies are proliferating in the marketplace, the Phoenix office of Leo A Daly and Santa Fe’s Conron & Woods found that, for the Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) headquarters in Santa Fe, knowing and using historic and indigenous building technologies can effectively meet the criteria for building sustainably.

How do you . . . blend historic reference with sustainability?

The mission of PERA is to preserve, protect, and administer the New Mexico public employees’ retirement trust fund to meet its current and future obligations and provide quality services to PERA members. According to Sean Warfield, project architect for Leo A Daly, the client wanted a headquarters building that fit with the Santa Fe style and that reflects its place in the community and commitment to its associates. But, says Warfield, “Santa Fe doesn’t really have a style, so we [emphasized that local] history was more important than the current style of Santa Fe architecture,” he explains.

Culture and history drive design
The resulting one-story design is representative of New Mexican historical and cultural influences. “One of the first things we talked about was that the client wanted to have something that looked permanent and that would last for 50–100 years,” says Warfield. To achieve that sense of permanence, the architects decided to use rammed-earth construction with 24-inch-thick walls, a 1,000-year-old building technique that’s an adaptation of adobe architecture. Warfield adds that, besides the inherently earth-friendly construction material, the rammed-earth walls are sustainable because they provide excellent insulation and because these walls will be a product of the site, with construction excavation being returned to the building.

The $9 million, 35,000-square-foot PERA headquarters design was, in part, inspired by the local vegetation and geography. The building was designed to echo the enchanting Sangre de Cristo Mountains, yet also to “grow” from its central courtyard as a native yucca plant would emanate from its core. Because daylighting and views to the outside were also important to the client, Leo A Daly and Connor & Woods designed the facility with multiple courtyards. Commonly found throughout the American Southwest, the use of multiple courtyards allows light to penetrate deep into the building and provides a sense of connection to the outside environment.

Not the typical office building
According to Warfield, the building site was pre-selected by the client, so the design team could only do so much to affect site conditions positively. “The site wasn’t picked by us so it wasn’t really LEED™ recommended or LEED friendly,” he explains. “It was already bulldozed and ready for development, so unfortunately we weren’t able to get a lot of LEED points from site work, but we are going to be able to get LEED points for things like innovative design, renewable energy sources, increased energy efficiency, and improved water management.”

For water management, the PERA facility will feature low-flow toilets and faucets and employ cisterns under the parking lot to capture rainwater for landscaping. Warfield estimates that 50 percent of the construction debris will be recycled or salvaged, with the design using salvaged steel to form a trellis and vertical shade fins. Many of the windows in the building will be operable, with low-e, high-performance glass to reduce heat gain and block harmful UV rays. A mechanized shade system also will be installed so that during the hours when the sun is most intense, the shades will automatically lower. Finally, since there is no perfect temperature for everyone, PERA employees will be able to adjust the temperature at their individual workstations, allowing maximum personal flexibility.

“It’s not going to be a typical office building,” enthuses Warfield. “It’s going to be very personalized for just their use. It really looks at their employees and gives them a unique space and a fun place to work.”

The project team anticipates achieving the Silver rating for LEED-NC™ for the PERA headquarters building. Construction is slated to begin early next spring, with completion and occupancy in late 2008.