Nov 29 2010
DPR Construction's (DPR) West Palm Beach office, which recently completed its office interior build-out, was awarded Gold Certification under the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)'s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) for Commercial Interiors rating system.
LEED® for Commercial Interiors is the recognized system developed by USGBC for certifying high-performance green interiors that are healthy, productive places to work; are less costly to operate and maintain; and have a reduced environmental footprint.
"It was only natural for us to pursue LEED® Gold Certification for our own office build-out as we have done in our other office locations," said Deborah Beetson, regional manager of the West Palm Beach office.
Located in the Ecoplex, one of Palm Beach County's first multi-tenanted green office buildings, DPR's LEED Gold Certified office features include:
- Low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) paint on drywall partitions;
- Cabinetry and 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 cleaning products for indoor janitorial use;
- Occupancy sensors and daylight dimming systems;
- Full height windows to allow views and daylight;
- Demountable partitions made with high recycled content to allow space flexibility
- Cisterns for rainwater capture used for flushing and irrigation;
- Low-flow fixtures;
- Energy Star appliances;
- High efficiency fixtures; and,
- Views for 98 percent of regularly occupied spaces.
"We felt it was important to locate our office in a building that supports sustainable building practices and the Ecoplex building does just that," continued Beetson. "DPR is proud to have a resume of more than $1 billion in green building projects and the highest percentage of LEED Accredited Professionals on staff among general contractors in the nation."
The enhanced office also features an open-office environment, where everyone including the regional manager sits in a wall-less cubicle and a wine bar to be used as a central gathering place for employee celebrations.
Established in 2008, DPR's West Palm Beach office has 16 employees, over half of who are LEED® Accredited Professionals. The company is currently in the pre-construction phase on a 100,000 square foot biomedical research facility for Max Planck, one of the world's largest not-for-profit research facilities, as well as the Science Classroom Complex for Florida International University. DPR also completed the three-building campus for the Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter. Additionally, many of the company's employees are actively involved in industry associations. DPR's Jay Jadeja currently serves as chair of USGBC Palm Beach Branch's Education Committee.
Source: http://www.dpr.com