Bently Reserve : Articles & News : SWA Offices Receive LEED Gold Certification

SWA Offices Receive LEED Gold Certification

October 29th, 2013 By: Doug Hahn

We’re pleased to announce SWA’s offices in the Bently Reserve have achieved LEED Gold CI certification. With this certification, along with Baker Avenue’s official LEED Silver CI achievement, the Bently Reserve now houses four LEED Commercial Interior certified spaces that range from silver to platinum.

The SWA Group’s buildout was designed and managed by SmithGroup JJR, an architectural firm with some serious chops: they’ve been in business for 160 years, designed the world’s very first LEED platinum rated building, oversaw several double-platinum projects (platinum buildings housing platinum interiors), and have implemented diverse net zero energy projects.

The SWA Group is one of the world’s leading landscape architecture, planning, and urban design firms. As a global firm so closely involved with the sculpting of environments, their new office space embodies the company’s commitment to a harmonious coexistence between human being and environment.

Nurturing Nature

SWA builds around, and designs with, natural materials. As a brick, steel, and concrete building built in the 1920s, the Bently Reserve exhibits an abundance of earthy elements in its structural components: its bricks and concrete are made from fired clay, and its enormous seismic steel beams are an aggregate of iron and carbon.

SmithGroupJJR’s strategy was to expose these natural elements, then clean or seal them into surfaces that represent more than just the bones of the building — they become finished facades in of themselves.

Drew Padilla. Project Manager for SmithGroupJJR, says

This — like all of our projects — is an honest design. Exposing the beauty of the building’s raw materials is at the core of what SWA does: SWA expresses concepts about landscapes rather than simply putting a veneer over them. The building’s bones were in complete synchronicity with that aesthetic.

The shape of the space itself reflects how SWA works — visitors pass through a large public entryway, then through a steel portal that compresses the space, and finally to a massive day lit main space that exhibits no apparent business hierarchies. This contrast between expansion and contraction embodies the harmonious interrelationship between the rigors of human-made systems and natural systems.

And wide open spaces are indeed an apt ideology for SWA’s offices: the office itself offers expansive views of San Francisco’s Financial District, and every single occupant of the main space has a view to the exterior — surpassing the 90% requirement for the LEED credit.

Having an egalitarian approach to space planning doesn’t just mean that an organization is dynamic and democratic, it saves money too. As Drew says,

From a logistical side, open space allows planners to leverage technologies and environment 100% more efficiently.

When you start putting walls up, that’s when things get expensive in the long run. We’ve had potential clients say ‘Well, drywall isn’t so expensive’ — and it’s not — but then you start having to put up ductwork and installing more lighting. So private offices end up costing much more over time.

SWA’s space also contains a “Super project room” — A.K.A. the “messy room” — a space for unfettered creativity where planners can make as much mess as they like while brainstorming ideas.

Drew also pointed out a motif common throughout all of SmithGroupJJR-designed spaces at the Bently Reserve — including their own LEED-CI Gold office space. He says,

New things don’t touch old things. Even the walls stop short of the original brick — even if just by a few millimeters — in an attempt to be respectful of the building’s history and to contrast it.

As for particular challenges faced during the buildout, Breck Baird, SmithGroupJJR’s Project Building Information Modeling Manager, says

Reaching energy and lighting saving benchmarks was one of the most exciting areas to problem solve: state requirements have gotten tougher, and it was challenging matching the 2005 code and 2010 code — but knowing the nuances of new building codes alongside LEED specifications helped me find important innovation points. This was key in achieving LEED Gold.

In terms of budget and ethos, SmithGroupJJR planners value true sustainability over paperwork. SmithGroupJJR and SWA set their goals as high as possible, regardless of abstract criteria. For example, the Forest Stewardship Council’s products come with a very nice certification but can add unreasonable expenses with tenant budgets — but other sources can be just as sustainable. In addition, LEED certification doesn’t give extra points for not using materials. However, none of this held the planners or client from designing a space that embraces SWA’s sustainable standards and company ethics.

Working in the Reserve & Repertoire with the USGBC

Since the Bently Reserve is already LEED Silver Core and Shell certified, it’s an ideal space for LEED planners. For example the building’s abundant daylight, coupled with its operable windows (a true rarity in commercial buildings), makes achieving certain credits more reasonable. As Drew says,

Operable windows are a huge benefit for the health and happiness of the people occupying these spaces. Simply knowing that you can open a window — even if you never actually open it — makes a big positive impact.

The Bently Reserve also features many sustainable technologies, such as an advanced Building Management System that maximizes energy efficiency 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Perhaps the highest profile piece of technology in the building is the Lutron energy system — so advanced it’s the first of its kind installed in US. The system features daylight harvesting, environmental sensors, and components that work together to manage light levels by automatically dimming rooms that have adequate daylight or are not in use.

Working so closely with the USGBC for so long has also forged a powerful partnership — because SmithGroupJJR has such a sustainable track record, they’ve built a repertoire with the USGBC over the years.

The Bently Reserve’s management and staff are vested in sustainability and caring for their tenants. As Drew says,

The Bently family owns and maintains this building as an act of stewardship and for promoting sustainability. Building management is responsive and seamless.

To find out more about SWA and to see pictures of the buildout, visit SWA Group.

To learn about SmithGroupJJR, head over to SmithgroupJJR.

About the Author

Doug Hahn

Douglas Hahn is a copywriter, creative writer, and avid reader. He’s been working in the industry for nearly a decade, and wants to see the world become a greener place.

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SWA Offices Receive LEED Gold Certification

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