Balfour Beatty’s San Diego Office Achieves LEED-Gold Certification

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Balfour Beatty Construction has earned LEED Gold certification for its southwest division office location in San Diego, Calif.

The firm occupies the third floor of the Cush Plaza Office Building located in Scripps Ranch. Construction of the 22,100-square-foot space required full system design and implementation, as the existing structure consisted of the core only. Features of the office retrofit include conference rooms with advanced audio-visual technology, training rooms with retractable screens, a bistro-like kitchen/lunch room, support spaces, and offices to accommodate more than 70 people.

Balfour Beatty Construction worked with design partners IR2 to design and build a space that reflects the company's collaborative culture and commitment to sustainability. Since moving into the new space in November 2011, the office's sustainable design solutions have made a significant impact.

“Most recently, energy use in the first quarter of 2013 was 40 percent below baseline calculations,” said Sean Hulen, Balfour Beatty Construction vice president and project manager for the build-out. “The LEED Gold certification reinforces that we are headed in the right sustainability direction. Now we are striving to continue to find ways to reduce our impact through constant monitoring, aggressive strategies and innovative thinking.”

Factors that contributed to earning the certification include :

> Energy efficient systems and equipment that significantly reduce monthly operating costs.
> Occupancy sensors that automatically shut off lights in unused rooms.
> Open office space with low partition walls to allow more natural light.
> Energy Star appliances that use less energy than standard appliances.
> Carpeting, paint and office furniture with low volatile organic compounds (VOC), which aids in maintaining good indoor air quality by reducing toxins and contaminants.
> Wall systems that allow for flexibility of office spaces.
> Twenty percent of construction materials contained recycled content thus minimizing the use of virgin materials.
> Copy rooms with a dedicated exhaust system to remove airborne contaminants and create a clean environment.

For more information, visit www.balfourbeattyus.com/sustainability.