The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) honoured the office, which recently underwent interior build-out, taking into account the sustainable elements integrated. Located in the EcoPlex, DPR’s West Palm Beach office is one of Palm Beach County’s first LEED-Gold-certified office buildings.
The ‘green’ features incorporated into the structure are: low VOC paint on drywall partitions; cabinetry & casework with no urea formaldehyde; office furniture featuring pre and post-consumer recycled content; carpet tile and acoustical ceiling tile with a high percentage of recycled content; green housekeeping programme; and occupancy sensors and daylight dimming systems.
Additional green elements include full height windows to allow views and daylight; demountable partitions made with high recycled content, allowing flexibility of space; low flow fixtures in common area restrooms/spaces; cisterns for rainwater capture used for flushing and irrigation; Energy Star appliances; high efficiency fixtures; and views for 98% of regularly occupied spaces.
Another distinct feature of the new office building is the open-office environment, where everyone sits in wall-less cubicles. A wine bar is used as a central gathering place for employee celebrations.
LEED for Commercial Interiors certifies high-performance green interiors that are healthy, productive places to work; are less costly to operate and maintain; and have a reduced environmental footprint.
