Los Angeles Building Turns up the Juice with Renewable Energy

Horizon at Playa Vista, a new 466,000-square- foot urban office development in the Los Angeles, Calif., area plans to use renewable energy sources to power 70 percent of the building’s core and shell electricity needs, which will be minimized by the use of high-efficiency windows and reduced lighting density.

The building project focused on several green measures including a sustainable site, water efficiency, energy, and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. As a result of its efforts, Horizon at Playa Vista is the first ground-up office building construction to be awarded the Gold LEED Core & Shell (CS) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council in Los Angeles.

Horizon at Playa Vista includes a storm water management system capable of removing 80 percent of all suspended solids from storm water runoff around the building; an indoor air quality management program includes adequate outdoor air ventilation and fresh air intake volumes, guidelines for smoking around building openings and intakes, a CO2 monitoring system, and indoor chemical and pollutant source control measures; and an alternative transportation program that includes preferred parking for carpooling vehicles and bicycle storage facilities. During construction, the project diverted nearly 95 percent of on-site generated construction waste from landfills to recycling locations.