by Brianna Crandall — June 3, 2016 — The ribbon-cutting for The Hudson Building was held in April in Vancouver, Washington, and Mackenzie’s Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors plaque was already displayed near the front door, says the provider of professional design services. The firm also pursued a USGBC LEED Gold certification for the building’s core and shell.
Complementing the local historic district and supporting its rejuvenation, Mackenzie’s new Vancouver office space, a 45,000-square-foot, three-story structure, earned 4 Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors, and is only the second tenant improvement project in the United States to earn that rating, the highest possible under the program.
The firm, which is occupying the second floor and using the other floors to showcase and lease creative, high-performance office space with a view to a future increase in personnel, notes that tenant improvement projects rarely become certified for sustainability due to concerns over costs, certainty, and a prolonged speed-to-market rate. But Mackenzie said the Green Globes certification review used the typical project-related processes and documentation to confirm compliance, streamlining the process.
Notable features of this project that contributed to its high rating include the addition of sub-metering and the achievement of 100% in the Water, Project Management and Emissions assessment areas, points out the Green Building Initiative, which adapted the Canadian Web-based, interactive learning tool developed from BREEAM to the needs of U.S. commercial buildings in the form of Green Globes.
Mackenzie also had their subcontractors record training on sensors, thermostats, etc., to maximize performance in ongoing operations. The firm produced a short video on YouTube highlighting how architecture and engineering firms can use Green Globes to help their clients meet and exceed their sustainability goals, with the tool’s “in-depth support for improvements ideally suited to each project.”
“As our understanding of the environment and human well-being evolves, exciting new opportunities in sustainable design and certification are being developed,” said Rich Mitchell, managing principal of Mackenzie. “Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors is a great new strategy that efficiently addresses central issues of occupant health and comfort, ecological friendliness, and choice of materials.”
