DPR Construction (DPR) unveiled the opening of its new San Francisco Bay Area Regional Office to honor their commitment to environmental responsibility and innovation. The new office will house the company’s employees while also allowing for future growth.

Producing as much or more energy than it consumes, DPR’s San Francisco office aims to achieve official Net-Zero Energy Building (NZEB) certification by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) through its Living Building Challenge program. The San Francisco office will be the third DPR office to serve as a living lab for sustainability. There are currently 12 buildings in the U.S. that have been certified as net zero energy by ILFI's Living Building Challenge. The Los Altos-based David and Lucile Packard Foundation Headquarters is the closest net zero energy building to San Francisco, a project on which DPR served as the general contractor.

DPR's office in Phoenix that has achieved net-zero energy certification in 2013. (Photo Credid: DPR Construction)

“We intend for our San Francisco office to become the third DPR office to achieve net zero energy certification and serve as a ‘living lab’ to test the newest and most intelligent energy efficient products on the market for others to see firsthand,” said Mike Humphrey, Regional Manager, DPR Construction.

The design team included San Francisco-based design firm FME Architecture + Design, Oakland-based consulting firm Integral Group and 58 other essential partners. In five months, the team researched, designed, permitted and built the highly-efficient, 24,000-square-foot modern workplace with a number of sustainability features including:

• Targeting LEED NC v4 Platinum Certification
• 118kw PV system to produce renewable energy and provide power throughout the office, reducing the cost of electricity
• Complete structural renovation and roof replacement to support the PV system
• Rooftop solar thermal water heating system
• Eight Velux solar-powered, automated operable skylights over the atrium
• Nine eight-foot Essence and four Haiku® Big Ass® Fans that efficiently promote air flow within the office
• Three living walls installed by Habitat Horticulture in addition to a living wine bar – live plants growing beneath the glass bar top
• Reclaimed redwood from the deconstructed Moffett Field Hangar One in Mountain View, Calif. and reclaimed Douglas Fir from piles salvaged from the San Francisco Transbay Transit Center Project
• Shared learning lab, fitness center and restrooms with subtenant