As a company, DPR Construction has a deep-seated commitment to sustainability, its employees, and the communities it serves. A couple of years ago, when the lease for its Phoenix office came up, the firm seized the opportunity to create an ultra-green environment for its 101-person Phoenix office and field staff.
Working with A/E firm SmithGroupJJR, DPR converted a vacant 16,533-sf one-time “adult-themed boutique” in the city’s reemerging Discovery Triangle into a LEED-NC Platinum office, one that is on target to be the first net-zero commercial office building in Arizona.
The Building Team—including sustainability consultant DNV KEMA and consulting structural engineer PK Associates—forged numerous paths to energy reduction. They used an 87-foot zinc-clad solar chimney to create a convection current that draws air into the building through four evaporative cooling “shower towers” equipped with internal misters and showerheads. The pre-cooled air then flows through the open office space, and hot air exhausts back through the chimney.
PROJECT SUMMARY
DPR CONSTRUCTION, PHOENIX REGIONAL OFFICE
Phoenix, Ariz.Building Team
Submitting firm: SmithGroupJJR (architect/MEP engineer), in conjunction with DPR Construction (owner/developer/GC)
Structural engineer: PK Associates Consulting Structural Engineers
Sustainability consultant: DNV KEMA Energy & SustainabilityGeneral Information
Size: 16,533 sf
Construction cost: $3,762,000
Construction time: February 2011 to October 2011
Delivery method: Design-build
Twelve eight-foot-diameter fans, three oversized roll-up doors, and 87 operable windows installed along the east and north façades further support the building’s passive cooling system. Eighty-two solar optical tubes bring additional daylight into the workspace, helping to cut artificial lighting by 70%.
LEDs provide exterior site lighting, but the team decided against using LEDs on the interior because they did not meet the project goal of a maximum 10-year return on investment. A phantom-load reduction “vampire” switch cuts off 90% of plug loads at night.
The tally: Net energy use intensity was cut to 28.85 kBtu/sf/year; lighting power density was reduced to 0.96 watts/sf. Net-zero energy was achieved through the installation of a 79.6 kW PV-covered canopy over half the parking lot.
To further its commitment to the community, DPR has opened its building to host meetings for local business groups, students, and nonprofit organizations. +
Related Stories
| Jul 18, 2013
Top Local Government Sector Architecture Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Stantec, HOK, IBI Group top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest local government sector architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the U.S.
| Jul 18, 2013
Top State Government Sector Construction Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
PCL, Clark Group, Turner top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest state government sector contractor and construction management firms in the U.S.
| Jul 18, 2013
Top State Government Sector Engineering Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Jacobs, AECOM, URS top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest state government sector engineering and engineering/architecture firms in the U.S.
| Jul 18, 2013
Top State Government Sector Architecture Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Stantec, Perkins+Will, HNTB top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest state government sector architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the U.S.
| Jul 18, 2013
Top Federal Government Sector Construction Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Clark Group, PCL, Hensel Phelps top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest federal government sector contractor and construction management firms in the U.S.
| Jul 18, 2013
Top Federal Government Sector Engineering Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Fluor, URS, AECOM top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest federal government sector engineering and engineering/architecture firms in the U.S.
| Jul 18, 2013
Top Federal Government Sector Architecture Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
HOK, SmithGroupJJR, PageSoutherlandPage top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest federal government sector architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the U.S.
| Jul 18, 2013
Top Government Sector Construction Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Clark Group, Turner, PCL head Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest government sector contractors and construction management firms in the U.S.
| Jul 18, 2013
Top Government Sector Engineering Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Fluor, URS, AECOM top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest government sector engineering and engineering/architecture firms in the U.S.
| Jul 18, 2013
Top Government Sector Architecture Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Stantec, HOK, HDR top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest government sector architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the U.S.