Sep 11 2007
Hundreds gathered at the future home of the new Thornburg Campus today to celebrate the long-awaited groundbreaking of Thornburg Companies' new 100,000 square foot headquarters. The facility, slated to be completed in approximately eighteen months, will be the first commercial Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold-certified building in both Santa Fe and northern New Mexico.
The official groundbreaking ceremony was attended by First Lady Barbara Richardson, New Mexico Secretary of the Environment, Ron Curry, Santa Fe Mayor, David Coss, along with many other dignitaries, friends and employees of Thornburg Companies, to commemorate the occasion.
"The new Thornburg Campus is a tribute to our staff and the resilience of our company," said Garrett Thornburg, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Thornburg Companies. "We owe our success in moving forward with the Thornburg Campus to each and every one of the community members, business leaders and government officials who have supported us in our planning and development efforts."
The Thornburg Campus was designed in accordance with the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED Green Building Rating System. The LEED rating system assesses a building's overall performance across five key areas including: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. Buildings are scored based on the credits they earn in each of the five categories, then given an official ranking as 'Certified,' 'Silver,' 'Gold,' or 'Platinum,' depending on the total number of points that the building achieves.
From state-of-the-art water-saving technologies to innovative heating and cooling systems to advanced xeriscaping techniques, every aspect of the Thornburg Campus was meticulously designed with environmental impact in mind. The parking area will be a terraced structure built into the downward slope of the hillside. To ensure that vehicles are largely hidden from pedestrian and street views the parking area will be masked by extensive xeric landscaping, including mature tree plantings along Ridgetop Road.
"It was important to us to make the investment in incorporating environmentally friendly features into the building design because it allows us to respect the site, local residents and the surrounding area," added Thornburg.
The Campus was designed by world-renowned architect Ricardo Legorreta, working in conjunction with architect of record, Dekker/Perich/Sabatini, and general contractor Klinger Constructors. Beyond the building's defining environmental features, Legorreta was also attentive to detail in ensuring that the building paid tribute to its Santa Fe heritage, while embracing the same sense of innovation that is matched by Thornburg Companies' forward-thinking corporate vision.
A core component of the vision that has driven Thornburg Companies' 25-year track record of success is its dedication to its employees and the Santa Fe community. The company has played an integral role in the economic development of Santa Fe and the surrounding area. The trend promises to continue as an additional 150 to 200 jobs are expected to be added to the existing 300 plus-employee roster before the new Thornburg Campus is completed. The accompanying Las Estrellas Village Center will have the economic benefit of the approximate 500 Thornburg employee base as an anchor as new shops, restaurants and local businesses are built.
"Thornburg Companies has always been proud to call Santa Fe home," said Thornburg. "We look forward to sharing in the many good things that the Thornburg Campus will bring to our staff, our community and its people in the coming years."
"Performance discussed represents past performance and does not guarantee future results"