DPR Construction Phoenix Regional Office
Combining the efforts of two firms with commitments to green building can produce remarkable results, as is the case with DPR Construction's Phoenix Regional Office. Faced with a lease renewal, DPR opted to relocate its Phoenix operations and set a high-bar for themselves: to create a zero-energy workplace in the desert.
Client
DPR Construction
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Markets/Services
Workplace, Architecture, Interiors, Landscape Architecture, Lighting Design, Programming, Sustainable Design, Workplace Strategy
Size
16,500 SF, 1530 M2
Featured Awards
Award of Merit - Energy
Award of Merit -- Commercial Office
Under 25,000 sf, PRIDE Awards
GREEN GOOD DESIGN Award - Green Architecture, 2013 -- Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design Awards
DPR selected a non-descript building centrally located in a re-emerging district, notable only for having once been an adult-themed boutique. SmithGroup and DPR incorporated a wide range of green building solutions, including a passive cooling system—comprised of a solar chimney, four evaporative-cooling shower towers, eight Big Ass Fans® and 87 operable windows—reducing AC requirements. Solatubes® infuse the workspace with daylight and reduce lighting loads by 70%, while a "Vampire” shut-off switch cuts off 90% of plug loads at night. Online monitoring systems allow staff to track and view energy and water use in real-time.
In the end, the transformation yielded a high performance, employee-focused office environment—a living laboratory of green design—and Arizona's first commercial net-zero-energy office building.
