Submitted by DPR Construction

Transforming a typical 24,000-sq-ft, suburban multi-tenant office building into a Net Zero facility is a real possibility, as proven by the team on DPR Construction’s new San Diego office project. With 11 conference rooms, including a large training area, a 16-person video conference room and a space dedicated to building information modeling technology, the $6.25-million building is targeting LEED-NC platinum certification by incorporating natural ventilation, daylighting, efficient HVAC and lighting systems and renewable energy.

During the initial programming stages, the design team and DPR hosted several strategic planning sessions to generate the project criteria and create a design that included the building program requirements. The criteria included sustainability, culture, building performance, long-term added value and cost.

Establishing goals based on DPR’s core values helped focus the team and create stakeholders. These goals included:

• Uniqueness: Bring the outside in to create better indoor comfort and quality not typical to standard office space

• Integrity: Make the best of the existing building and improving the value of the investment with a return on investment (ROI) of less than 10 years

• Enjoyment: Respect for the health and happiness of the employees; promote friendship and camaraderie

• Ever Forward: Set an example with a Net Zero Energy Building: consume less or equal to the amount of energy that DPR generates annually.

Working with a building built more than 30 years ago had advantages and disadvantages. Because there were more parking spaces than required, it was possible to reduce the number of spaces and increase the landscape areas. This reduced the “heat island” effect, increased the permeable area and created “spill-out” areas from the building for congregation.

Project Team

Developer/Owner: DPR Construction, San Diego
General Contractor: DPR Construction, San Diego
Architect: Callison Architecture, Seattle
Structural Engineer: HOPE Engineering, San Diego
Subcontractors: Bergelectric, Escondido; Pacific Rim Mechanical, San Diego; KEMA Services, San Diego; D&D Concrete, Poway; ValleyCrest Landscape, San Diego