Construction is underway on what should be the first LEED Certified Project to be built in Forsyth County: the new office headquarters for Walter Robbs Callahan & Pierce Architects, PA and consulting engineering firm, Cavanaugh & Associates, PA. The project incorporates sustainable architectural design and construction, which maximizes operational efficiency while minimizing environmental impact. LEED Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council is the national benchmark for high performance green buildings. As the project architects, Walter, Robbs, Callahan and Pierce is going for Silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification and is proud to have the honor of building the first “LEED Certified Commercial Interior” project in our community. WRCP’s initial LEED experience was acquired on the Watauga Humane Society Project in Boone, NC, where site work has now been completed.

Walter Robbs Callahan & Pierce and Cavanaugh’s new headquarters will occupy the 3rd Floor of Trader’s Row, a new, $13 million, 110,000 sq ft, five story, mixed-use building now under construction at 546 North Trade Street in the heart of Winston-Salem’s Downtown Arts District. WRCP is also the architect for the new building and Cavanaugh is the civil engineer. Frank L. Blum Construction Company is the general contractor for the LEED portion of the project.

“It’s satisfying to see Winston-Salem joining the ranks of proactive, forward-thinking communities across the country who have embraced energy efficient, sustainable design,” said Rence Callahan, AIA, one of the principals at Walter Robbs Callahan & Pierce Architects, PA. “When designing our new headquarters we felt a responsibility to demonstrate how green principles can be integrated into beautiful, cost-effective design. I’m excited about the fun, stimulating, healthy work environment we’ve created for Cavanaugh and ourselves.”

As the Winston-Salem Community’s first LEED Commercial Interior, this project will serve as a demonstration for other architects, city planners, developers, and contractors. The cutting edge design and building practices exemplify lower energy use, sustainable purchasing and maintenance practices, and improved indoor environmental quality. The project will provide a practical, hands-on example of how the process works for those working on future sustainable projects.

"As Cavanaugh continues to do our part to promote sustainable development in our many land-development engineering projects, we are excited that our corporate headquarters will be "green," said Steve Cavanaugh, President, Cavanaugh & Associates, P.A. "We look forward to providing the same excellence in a workplace environment for our associates in Winston-Salem as we bring to our projects throughout North Carolina. Hopefully, this will be the first of many energy efficient, sustainable projects in our community. "

The project design team, led by Heather Gardner, WRCP’s LEED Accredited Design Professional, implemented strategies to exceed today’s more stringent energy codes, indoor air quality standards and water conservation measures. The goal of increased efficiency and occupant satisfaction, coupled with life cycle cost analysis to assure sound business justification, resulted in the team’s decision to pursue Silver LEED-CI Certification.

Methods to achieve this goal include incorporating recycled materials in the construction phase, choosing materials to minimize polluting emissions, incorporating technologies that increase energy efficiency, and seeking sustainably harvested and manufactured materials to reduce the project’s negative impact on the environment.

"At WRCP, we strongly believe that we have the responsibility to care for the environment of our planet and the health of employees and other building occupants," said Heather Gardner, WRCP’s LEED Accredited Design Professional. "Our performance under the LEED Green Building rating system is a key indication that we are achieving this important goal. Going through the LEED process in such depth has been a fascinating and gratifying process. We now have the ultimate teaching tool for our clients and others in the community who want to see first hand what a LEED project looks like and how it works.”

Following is a detailed overview of the sustainable design elements incorporated into the project:

Site Selection

Choosing an area to relocate WRCP and Cavanaugh’s offices in Winston-Salem was never a difficult task. Both companies have long-term commitments to downtown Winston-Salem’s revitalization efforts and were already headquartered on 4th Street. They felt it was important to construct an urban infill project versus contributing to urban sprawl by building in the suburbs.

The new building is located adjacent to an existing parking deck owned by the City of Winston-Salem, so no new parking is required for the offices. Neither company pays for employees to park in the public deck, instead encouraging them to find an alternative means of transportation to work. Enhancing the already commuter-friendly downtown location, the design team chose to incorporate showers and a bike rack in the building for employees to promote that means of traveling to work from the surrounding residential neighborhoods.

“Were our two companies to move to a suburban location, a parking lot large enough for 80+ employees and visitors would be required, which would remove permeable land and add to the heat-island effect with paving,” said Will Jernigan, Cavanaugh’s LEED Accredited Civil Engineer. “The density level found in downtown Winston-Salem is good for the environment because developed space, including parking space, is condensed vertically, reducing the built footprint on the earth.”

Workers’ Enjoyment & Comfort Level

Studies have shown that people who are in an attractive work environment that is neither too hot nor too cold, with fresh air, and good light are happier, more productive, and healthier. To achieve this result, the architecture and interior design of WRCP’s space incorporates many windows and few interior walls so that everyone has views to the outside and the space is flooded with daylight. Floor-to-ceiling glass is even incorporated into the conference room so you can see through this interior room to the outside from the interior lobby. A higher than average number of thermostats and lighting controls give the occupants optimal control of their environment. The lobby features warm wood tones and colors with sage green carpet and Douglass Fir wood paneling. The interior work space for WRCP’s 40 employees is completely open and features exposed ceiling beams, duct work and boldly colored ceiling clouds and accent walls used to define the architecture of the space.

Cavanaugh’s space was designed by WRCP intern architect Adam Sebastian to have an earthy, organic look that reflects the fundamentals of Cavanaugh’s civil engineering work. Upon entering the lobby visitors face a 10’ x 12’ wall of polished river rocks caged in a welded wire screen. Dominating the lobby is a granite-topped desk featuring a tectonic design. Like WRCP’s offices, the employee workspace is wide open. A long, curving yellow wall reminiscent of Cavanaugh’s logo, provides both the visual and literal divider between the employees’ office space and that part of the office housing the two conference rooms and workrooms.

Materials and Resources

The design team has specified that a minimum of 20% (by cost) of materials on the job are to be recycled products. This encourages manufacturers to reuse more and more materials, keeping them out of our already jam-packed landfills. Some of the recycled-content materials include metal ceilings, gypsum wallboard and linoleum. In addition, a minimum of 20% (by cost) of materials on the job are to be purchased within a 500-mile radius of Trader’s Row. Doing so supports a regional economy while reducing the amount of fuel burned to transport materials to the jobsite.

Moving an office to a new location takes valuable time and resources away from a company, as well as from the environment. WRCP and Cavanaugh have committed to remain in the new Trader’s Row offices a minimum of 10 years, as recommended by the LEED guidelines. This sound business practice is achieved by designing flex space into the floor plan which will accommodate company expansion with minimal adjustments to the current design.

Indoor Environmental Quality

Low-emitting materials have been incorporated into the office design to promote the health and well being of the construction workers installing the products and of the employees who will occupy the space 40+ hours per week. These low-emitting materials include: all construction adhesives and sealants, paints and coatings, wall insulation, finished surfaces such as walls and ceilings, and carpet systems. The use of carpet has been limited to less than 50% of the floor area to avoid the collection and spread of dirt particles, contributing to a healthier indoor air quality. The design team chose to leave a significant portion of the floor as an exposed concrete slab, which is more cost effective, cleaner, and less resource consuming than carpet. Nature-friendly linoleum has been used instead of VCT (vinyl composite tiles) in key locations. In addition, environmentally friendly systems furniture and seating will be installed.

The space up-fit will follow a detailed Indoor Air Quality Management Plan, with the goal of reducing employee illnesses with a clean office air strategy. The plan addresses stored materials, protection of ductwork, filtration, and cleaning. The space will undergo a “flush-out” prior to occupancy. The roof top unit will introduce fresh air continuously for approximately two weeks to reduce indoor air quality problems resulting from the construction process, sustaining occupant comfort and well being. While the design team specified only low-emitting materials be used on the building, this will ensure that any remaining construction dust and airborne chemicals will exit the building prior to occupancy. The overall indoor air quality goal is to reduce negative effects on the health of the building occupants by reducing their exposure to harmful chemicals and dust.

Water Efficiency

Efficient plumbing fixtures were chosen to reduce water use. In order to reach this goal the following low-flow plumbing fixtures have been specified: waterless urinals, dual flush flushometers to allow water closets to use only 1.1 gallons per flush (you push the handle down when less water is required to flush, and push up when more is needed), lavatories with low-flow and infrared sensor faucets, and low-flow shower heads.

Energy & Atmosphere

The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system (HVAC), engineered by LEED Accredited Engineer, Chris Stroupe, of Consultant Engineering Services of Winston-Salem, serves the third floor of the 5-story building, separate from the other floors. One existing central-variable-air-volume roof top unit supplies air to the terminals (series fan boxes) for cooling. Fan-powered series fan boxes are located throughout the floor to allow different zones to maximize space comfort, optimum ventilation, and energy conservation. Every solar exposure has a separate VAV (variable air volume) box and thermostat control. Interior spaces are conditioned by separate VAV boxes. Conference rooms, break rooms, and open space offices have their own VAV boxes and thermostat control to improve the occupant comfort. [Typical office buildings have only a few thermostats to control a large space, which not only makes them inefficient, but also less comfortable for the workers. Room temperatures vary within any building naturally because of their location relative to the building envelope and to the sun. For example, spaces closer to the windows will be colder in the winter (especially north facing windows) and warmer in the summer (especially south facing windows) than interior spaces where the temperature is more stable. With the mechanical equipment separated into zones based on location, the occupants can even out the temperature difference, making the workspace much more comfortable for everyone. Comfortable employees = happy, productive employees!] Only zones that may require heat due to thermal loss have an electric heater in the box, saving natural resources as well as cost. Wireless thermostats are being used to eliminate the need for wiring and also to allow future flexibility in the office layout. In order to minimize ozone depletion, the equipment specified does not use CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) refrigerants.

The lighting system selected has been designed to reduce the power density to 15% below ASHRAE standard 90.1-2004. Occupancy sensors are located in sensitive areas control lights and reduce energy waste. Sensors are set to automatically shut off after a period of time, typically between 10 and 30 minutes. The design team’s lighting strategy is to combine high-efficiency fixtures in a space already well lit by natural daylight. The color schemes chosen have high reflective values, enabling the use of fewer fixtures to maintain an appropriate overall lighting level. The appropriate lighting level was determined based on the tasks performed in each space (corridors require less lighting than a desktop, for example). Computer models of the lighting aided the design team in implementing this strategy. The light fixtures are wired in zones in similar fashion as the heating and air systems. This enables fixtures close to the windows to be switched to use only 1 or 2 bulbs (out of 3), or to be switched off when there is ample natural light. In addition, each employee will be provided with a personal desk lamp to use at their discretion, accommodating personal preferences at an individual level.

The HVAC system, the lighting controls, and the domestic hot water system are included in the commissioning process. Commissioning is the process of verifying that the energy-related systems are installed, calibrated, and performing as they are intended.

The design team chose to install sub-metering equipment for the third floor offices to monitor the long-term energy and water usage and their associated costs. The expectation is that they will be lower than a standard office space, which will offset the slight premium that was paid for more efficient systems upfront. WRCP wants to be able to provide clients with hard data demonstrating why this is a viable, cost-effective approach to building design.

Innovation in Design

In addition to basic sustainable objectives, the project exceeds LEED guidelines in the following areas:

Because of the project’s downtown location, the guideline parameters for urban density and community connectivity were greatly exceeded. The project is part of an urban infill movement in downtown Winston-Salem and is well supported by services within walking distance. The project is also within two blocks of a public transportation hub that serves all of Winston-Salem and the Piedmont Triad.

As stewards of the environment, WRCP and Cavanaugh believe that it is important to educate their clients and the public about sustainable design, so they are incorporating an educational program about the environmental aspects of the project. An additional LEED credit is available for developing an educational strategy, which may include guided tours, brochures, and/or a signage program at each sustainable feature.

Both firms also believe that building green is not enough, therefore WRCP and Cavanaugh plan to incorporate sustainable practices into the firm’s daily routine as well. They are currently developing a green housecleaning program that will use nature and people-friendly chemicals to promote clean streams and rivers as well as healthy indoor air quality.

MEDIA CONTACT: Cheryl Schirillo
(336) 659-0234, Cheryl@triad.rr.com