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Greg Gidez
Fentress Bradburn Architects

Going for the Gold – and the Platinum

When the Department of Education building was certified LEED Gold for new construction in 2003, it was the largest building in the world to achieve that status. For lead architect Greg Gidez of Fentress Bradburn Architects, the building was the culmination of a ten-year learning curve in the newly emerging technologies of sustainable building design and construction.

The proposal for the DOE building was conceived in 1999 in response to a project offering from the Department of General Services. The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED building rating system was still relatively new, but according to Gidez sustainable building standards had been implemented in many of his company's projects since the early 90s. Commissions ranging from the Department of Natural Resources in Olympia, Washington to the three buildings of the Oakland Administration Complex in northern California had required various degrees of energy efficiency, recycled building materials and other environmentally friendly features

The Department of Education building is part of a five-building complex known as the Capitol Area East End, a project developed by the State of California. Johnson Fain, a Los Angeles based architectural firm, was hired to plan the complex and develop the architectural design criteria, building massing (form) and detail, and the program requirements.

Each of the buildings had similar architectural features, prescriptive and performance criteria. Fentress Bradburn Associates (architect) and Hensel Phelps (general contractors) formed a team of subcontractors and consultants. Although each partner started with the same palette and requirements, the DOE building was the only one in the East End complex to achieve Gold certification.

"When we first interviewed for the project, we knew the state wanted a green building," said Gidez. "They told us that the project would be worth $65 million dollars to the design-build team; they gave us the performance criteria, the amount of space, and they also added a ‘best value delivery,' which meant that they asked the bidders for a plan showing how they would deliver the best value for the price.

"We looked at 145 potential sustainable strategies," Gidez recalled, "and ended up with 110. A lot had to do with energy systems, building materials and performance of the building."  To add value, the Fentress Bradburn team found grant money in the private sector for elements including solar panels, recycled rubber in asphalt paving around the building and a recycled rubber play surface for the playground.

"We wanted to reach (LEED) Platinum," said Gidez, "and ended up getting the Gold.  Little did we know how much of a struggle it was going to be. We had a lot of challenges."

The architects laid out a roadmap for contractors and subcontractors to follow for construction and maintenance of the sustainable building. The plan included goals for recycled content of building materials, including carpet and ceiling tile, that exceeded what was available at the time.

"We knew there were 1.7 million square feet of space to cover in the five-building complex," said Gidez.  "With that much clout, you can turn heads and make an industry react. We think we helped push industry in the right direction."

DGS required that the building outperform Title 24 energy codes, California's standards for new buildings, by 30 percent. According to Gidez, the systems were designed to outperform Title 24 by 40 percent.

Another strategy was to provide the state with extended warranties. To this end, the architects, engineers and contracting team helped with the operation of the building for two years.

"We had the engineers who designed the systems, and the subcontractors who built the systems, working with the building managers," said Gidez, "so they were able to fine-tune the systems and end up with a level of savings that we originally only saw on paper. We learned how to make the building run more efficiently during those first two years of operation."

Knowing this was a benchmark building that other state facilities would be measured against, the State decided to try for the Existing Building LEED Platinum certification.

Two years ago, Gidez sat in on a meeting with the Department of General Services where this plan was discussed, and he knew his job was done.

"They had the people and the energy and the willpower to see this succeed for the next step," he said. "We set the table and they took it from there."

What began was an experiment to show that a building could be built on budget while still meeting the highest standards for energy performance, indoor air quality, recycling, water conservation and many other sustainable standards, has now set the standard for what government facilities can achieve in building design and implementation.

Fentress Bradburn is incorporating many of the sustainable strategies developed during the project in all their designs.

Said Gidez: "These are things we incorporate as a rule now, not just when someone asks for them. Energy performance, indoor air quality, recycled materials - being good stewards of the environment makes sense. It benefits everyone."



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