Architecture Firm Headquarters Earns LEED Silver for Interiors

Dahlin Group Architecture Planning recently received LEED® certification for its adaptively reused headquarters building in Pleasanton, Calif. The facility earned the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Silver rating for commercial interiors (LEED-CI). The architects report that they sought certification as part of their aim to "live by example." The desire to work sustainably was a main driver for choosing an existing building next to Pleasanton's Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) terminus, thus giving staff and clients a drive-free option from San Francisco and Oakland. The station also is a terminus for bus lines serving California’s Central Valley, site of much of the area's most affordable housing. The building itself, which originally served as an auto insurance inspection facility, reflects what Dahlin Group terms its “signature design approach,” with a dramatic focal stair and an open office plan, serving as “a design laboratory for the staff and as a demonstration for clients," with displays to identify LEED elements and strategies throughout the building. Among these are functional sunshades, low VOC paints, environmentally sensitive carpeting and adhesives, water-conserving plumbing, and spectrally selective coated glass.