by Shane Henson — June 6, 2011—Green Building Services, Inc. (GBS), a sustainable development consulting firm, earned a LEED for Commercial Interiors Platinum award for its offices in a high-rise owned by Unico Properties in Portland, Oregon.
GBS partnered with Ankrom Moison Associated Architects and Russell Construction to produce concepts for the 8,800-square-foot space that are transferable to any CI project. Project highlights include:
- GBS helped to develop a robust “green lease” that includes sub-metered space so the firm pays energy costs based on actual usage. The firm also utilized new green cleaning practices for the building’s janitorial service.
- Firm engineers assessed actual lighting needs and offered Unico a model that deviated from typical standards. A daylighting-leveraging space layout and the use of daylight controls achieved a 33 percent improvement over ASHRAE 90.1-2007.
- Sponsorship was secured for waterless urinals from a local vendor along with dual-flush toilets and low-flow fixtures that has led to saving an estimated 26,970 gallons of water per year.
- GBS reused a substantial amount of furniture from their prior offices, including wooden sliding doors to a conference room that originated from a school’s deconstruction, and wood samples from the firm’s materials library.
- Firm engineers assessed actual lighting needs and offered Unico a model that deviated from typical standards. A daylighting-leveraging space layout and the use of daylight controls achieved a 33 percent improvement over ASHRAE 90.1-2007.
For more information visit the GBS Web site.
