DPR Construction Completes Ground-Up Net-Zero-Energy-Designed Facility for The David and Lucile Packard Foundation

LOS ALTOS, Calif. — DPR Construction celebrates the ribbon-cutting of The David and Lucile Packard Foundation’s new Bay Area office building, which joins a growing trend of net-zero energy facilities in the United States. Designed to use less energy as well as generate its own power onsite, the new building, which is also targeting LEED-Platinum certification, offers a replicable model for attaining the highest level of sustainable development in a commercial office building setting and is one of the first of its size and type in the nation.

The 50,000-square-foot, two-story wood and steel structure, designed by architect EHDD, blends into the surrounding natural environment, presenting an understated yet elegant aesthetic that belies the complexity of the design components and construction processes that went into the project.

Sustainable building elements that contribute to the net-zero energy goal, include a highly energy-efficient mechanical and electrical system and rooftop photovoltaic panels that generate onsite energy.

DPR began the project in early 2010 with the deconstruction of six existing structures and diverting 98 percent of the waste from landfill. According to DPR Project Manager Mike Messick, the team also worked closely with major trade contractors to correctly sequence the construction of the exterior skin.

“The waterproofing system as well as the thermal insulation of the exterior skin were really crucial and extremely complicated, because there were so many different materials and intersections coming together,” he said. To accomplish that, DPR first constructed a full-sized mock-up section. “We were able to ferret out a lot of the sequencing issues of putting together such a complex skin system designed specifically to help achieve the zero-energy goal,” Messick noted.