The first phase of the County of San Diego Operations Center project in Kearny Mesa recently received a trio of honors – the “Outstanding Governmental Building of the Year” by the California Center for Sustainable Energy, the “2011 Energy Champion for New Construction” by San Diego Gas & Electric and LEED gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

According to Dan Stewart, RJC Architects’ project manager, phase 1A of the massive project consists of two 150,000-sq-ft, four-story office buildings and a parking structure.

RJC says that it teamed with general contractor Lowe Enterprises and Suffolk-Roel Construction Co. on the project and incorporated the very latest in sustainable design practices, significantly reducing negative environmental effects as well as daily operations costs. Airy glass-walled private offices allow abundant natural light and are strategically clustered around the center, while the floor plans create a pedestrian oriented layout, says Stewart.

Phase 1B of the $531 million project – consisting of two administrative buildings totaling 300,000-sq-ft and a 20,000-sq-ft conference center – is slated for completion in October 2012. According to Stewart, the conference center is designed to be LEED platinum.