GENESIS Marina, an expansive laboratory and office campus in Brisbane, Calif., is the world’s first Total Resource Use and Efficiency (TRUE)-certified construction endeavor. The recently completed project consisted of three buildings totaling about 560,000 sf.
The certification recognizes projects that achieve outstanding levels of resource efficiency through waste reduction, reuse, and recycling practices. The project diverted 98.4% of construction waste from landfills, an achievement that includes preventing waste from being sent to waste-to-energy facilities.
TRUE certification is administered by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), part of the US Green Building Council (USGBC) family. Construction manager Webcor partnered with All About Waste, a zero waste and circular economy consultant, to achieve the certification.
The certification process involved a comprehensive evaluation of waste reduction practices including reduced packaging, the use of recycled products, and innovative end-of-life solutions for materials. Webcor’s approach emphasized collaboration across all levels of the project team and with subcontractors and partners to achieve the project’s waste reduction goals.
"TRUE emphasizes waste reduction before any waste is created on the jobsite,” says Webcor Sustainability Director Sarah Rege. “This significantly reduces the volume of waste and emissions from transportation, benefiting local air quality and supporting local businesses.”
GENESIS Marina was awarded TRUE Gold in February 2024.
“We are proud to see Webcor’s forward-thinking efforts at GENESIS Marina and for initiating a broader conversation about the feasibility and benefits of zero waste and sustainability in construction,” said Joe Marconi, a Partner at Bain Capital Real Estate. “We are committed to continuing these impactful practices and positively contributing to the built environment in the years to come.”
Owner and/or developer: Phase 3 Real Estate
Architect: Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill (SOM)
MEP engineer: Meyers+ Engineers
Structural engineer: Paradigm Structural Engineers
General contractor/construction manager: Webcor
Related Stories
| Apr 26, 2011
Ed Mazria on how NYC can achieve carbon neutrality in buildings by 2030
The New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects invited Mr. Mazria to present a keynote lecture to launch its 2030 training program. In advance of that lecture, Jacob Slevin, co-founder of DesignerPages.com and a contributor to The Huffington Post, interviewed Mazria about creating a sustainable vision for the future and how New York City's architects and designers can rise to the occasion.
| Apr 22, 2011
GSA testing 16 emerging sustainable technologies, practices
The GSA is testing and evaluating 16 emerging sustainable building technologies and practices in select federal facilities under its Green Proving Ground program. Testing will determine the most effective technologies that may then be replicated on a wider-scale basis throughout the GSA inventory with the goal of transforming markets for these technologies.
| Apr 19, 2011
Is a building sustainable if it kills birds?
Migratory birds were flying into the windows and falling, dead or injured, to the foot of the LEED-Platinum FBI building in Chicago. The FBI building isn't the only LEED-certified structure to cause problems for migratory birds, however. Some of the more than 33,000 LEED-certified buildings in the U.S. use large amounts of glass to bring in natural light and save on energy—and all that glass can confuse birds.
| Apr 19, 2011
Philadelphia opens massive, LEED-Silver recycling center
The 60,000-square-foot single-stream material recovery facility (MRF) in Philadelphia will process around 20,000 tons of newspaper, cardboard, aluminum, glass, and plastic every month, and will simplify the collection of recyclable materials and increase recycling rates by 50%.
| Apr 19, 2011
AIA announces top 10 green Projects for 2011
The American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment announced its Top 10 Green Projects for 2011. Among the winners: Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles, the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., and the Vancouver Convention Centre West in Vancouver, British Columbia.
| Apr 19, 2011
BMW dealers driving up sustainable construction in NYC
BMW North America will invest $60 million in two green dealerships in Manhattan. The new stores, which are being designed to cut energy use by 25%, reflect the auto company’s effort to reposition itself as environmentally conscious.
| Apr 19, 2011
15 mind-blowing skyscrapers
Our friends at Inhabitat have rounded up 15 incredible buildings—from underground cities to vertical farms to bio-fuel power plants and skyscrapers.
| Apr 19, 2011
Help the editors choose the next BD+C White Paper topic
The editors of Building Design+Construction want your input on the topic (or topics) we should tackle for our 2012 green building White Paper. Send us your ideas today.
| Apr 14, 2011
U.S. embassies on a mission to green the world's buildings
The U.S. is putting greater emphasis on greening its worldwide portfolio of embassies. The U.S. State Department-affiliated League of Green Embassies already has 70 U.S. embassies undergoing efforts to reduce their environmental impact, and the organization plans to increase that number to more than 100 by the end of the year.
