Burbank Water and Power Building Receives LEED Platinum Certification

The U.S. Green Building Council recently awarded Burbank Water and Power's new Electrical Services Building LEED Platinum certification. General contractor Swinerton Builders Los Angeles completed the project on a fast-track schedule in July 2013.

The two-story, 17,000-square-foot building houses its electrical equipment testing and relay shops, a high bay shop featuring a 10-ton crane, supervisors and engineering office space, a training room, a lunch room, restrooms, locker rooms and showers. The Type II moment frame slab-on-grade structure has a lathe and plaster exterior with a stucco coating.

The Swinerton team followed a strict LEED Platinum standard during construction, with points gained through the following strategies:

• Sustainable site selection
• Waste management practices
• Recycled content use
• Regional manufacturing
• Stormwater pollution prevention

An overhead dimmable lighting system was installed throughout the building, with built-in sensors that track the amount of incoming sunlight. Green features extended outside to the sitework and landscaping, where drought-tolerant native California vegetation was planted to minimize water usage.

There are 50 LEED Platinum buildings in the state of California, three of which are located on Burbank Water and Power's EcoCampus.