Skanska USA, a provider of construction management, preconstruction, and design-build services, moved its Philadelphia Metro office moved to a newly designed, highly energy-efficient space in Blue Bell, Pa.
The new 19,100-sf office was built by Skanska’s Special Projects Group and is expected to achieve LEED for Commercial Interiors Gold certification from the USGBC.
In keeping with Skanska’s commitment to being green, the new office features numerous innovative, environmentally-sound elements. For example, all counter tops, carpet tiles, and stone tile flooring contain 40% recycled content. In addition, Skanska utilized renewable materials for finishes, such as Lumicor accent panels (which are R4 recycled resins made from crushed recycled glass) throughout the office.
The office’s layout also allows for a natural daylight-based lighting scheme. Combined with the use of Energy Star-rated computers and appliances and new energy-efficient lighting throughout the office, the new space is expected to significantly reduce energy costs in the first year. The optimal design also provides Skanska’s employees with an open atmosphere, allowing for more collaboration, interaction and communication amongst coworkers.
The project was completed on schedule in just four months. The architect was KlingStubbins. +
Related Stories
| Apr 5, 2011
Top 10 Buildings: Women in Architecture
Making selections of top buildings this week led to a surprising discovery about the representation of women in architecture, writes Tom Mallory, COO and co-founder, OpenBuildings.com. He discovered that finding female-created architecture, when excluding husband/wife teams, is extremely difficult and often the only work he came across was akin to interior design.
| Apr 5, 2011
What do Chengdu, Lagos, and Chicago have in common?
They’re all “world middleweight cities” that are likely to become regional megacities (10 million people) by 2025—along with Dongguan, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, and Wuhan (China); Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo); Jakarta (Indonesia); Lahore (Pakistan); and Chennai (India), according to a new report from McKinsey Global Institute: “Urban World: Mapping the economic power of cities”.
| Mar 30, 2011
China's low-carbon future city
In 2005, the Chinese government announced its target to reduce energy consumption per GDP unit by 20% by the year 2010. After a multi-billion investment, that target has been reached. The Chinese Climate Protection Program’s goal to increase energy efficiency, develop renewable energies, and promote energy savings while reducing pollutant emissions and strengthening environmental protection is reflected in the “Future City” by SBA Design.
| Mar 30, 2011
Is the AEC industry at risk of losing its next generation leaders without better mentoring?
After two or three horrifying years for the AEC industry, we are finally seeing the makings of a turnaround. However, data developed by Kermit Baker as part of the AIA Work-on-the-Boards survey program indicates that between 17% and 22% of design firms are eliminating positions for interns and staff with less than six years of experience. This data suggests the industry is at risk of losing a large segment of its next generation of leaders if something isn't done to improve mentoring across the profession.
