We wanted our new office to demonstrate its coming of age through sophisticated and advanced green building design and technology, while serving as a living lab that teaches why and how green building is a superior choice.
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) headquarters, located in Washington, DC, was the first building project to achieve certification under the LEED for Commercial Interiors 2009 rating system. The building is owned by Charles E. Smith Vornado and, as per the lease agreement, the base building pursued LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance, which it achieved on 12/29/2010. There are two other LEED offices in the building: Cassidy Turley which has achieved LEED for Commercial Interiors Silver and RTKL which has achieved LEED for Commercial Interiors Platinum. The growth of USGBC mirrors the explosive growth of the green building industry in recent years. When the organization outgrew its previous space in less than two years, its leadership wanted the new office to demonstrate USGBC's coming of age while also serving as a living laboratory to teach the benefits and implementation of green building. USGBC leadership wanted the space to be classically modern and timeless. This was accomplished with natural light and flexibility in accommodating ongoing change through a mix of workstations and private offices. Reducing energy consumption played a key role in the design of the space, and, of course, it was a must for the new office to achieve a LEED for Commercial Interiors Platinum rating under the LEED for Commercial Interiors version 3 system.
Site context
The USGBC Headquarters is sited in Washington, DC, on the edge of the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District. It neighbors a university and two vibrant residential neighborhoods, Dupont Circle and Foggy Bottom. Numerous transportation options including both bus and rail, as well as restaurants and shops, are within steps of the office. The LEED for Commercial Interiors-certified headquarters is located on the fifth and sixth floors of a ten-story office building that is itself certified under the LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance Rating System.
