Designing high performance and sustainable buildings is at the core of Pickard Chilton’s design process. Our commitment to environmental stewardship and conservation not only creates built environments that are livable and workplaces that are healthy but it also results in an innovative, durable and elegant architecture of long term value. Pickard Chilton designers are active members of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and proponents of its mission. By fall 2008, it is anticipated that all design staff members will be USGBC LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ) Accredited Professionals.
Pickard Chilton’s efforts in advancing sustainable design have received substantial recognition including numerous “firsts”. As a pilot project for the USGBC’s LEED Core and Shell (CS) certification program, 1180 Peachtree in Atlanta was the first high-rise office building in the world to be pre-certified LEED-CS Silver and ultimately certified LEED-CS Gold. 8th Avenue Place in Calgary is Canada’s first pre-certified LEED-CS Gold project. The inaugural Green Honor Award from AIA California Central Valley was awarded for CalPERS in 2006. MainPlace is the first LEED-CS Gold skyscraper in downtown Houston and the Pinnacle at Symphony Place is the first project in Nashville to achieve a LEED-CS Silver certification. Buildings by Pickard Chilton have been recognized with over a dozen sustainable design awards.
As a measure of our commitment to sustainable design, working within the LEED Green Building Rating System, Pickard Chilton has achieved LEED-Gold certification of nearly 14,000,000 gsf of the firm’s commercial, residential and institutional buildings since 2006, one of the highest volumes in the United States. Our deep experience incorporating the LEED system into our design process confirms that it is most successful when it is implemented at the earliest stages of a project. Full participation and commitment by the client and design team ensure a better, more efficient and cost effective building.
Sustainability goals must continually be considered at all stages in the life cycle of a project - from the beginning of programming through occupancy of the building and beyond. For sustainability to be truly successful we advocate a holistic approach in which strategy and material choices are fully evaluated and integrated as appropriate throughout the design and construction of the building. These could range from access to public transportation, energy use, daylighting, and materials selection, to recycling during construction. Above all, sustainable design must achieve an optimal balance of cost and environmental benefit while adding value to the project throughout its life cycle.
Case Study: CalPERS Headquarters Complex. Exemplifying a fully integrated approach to sustainability is the recently completed mixed-use headquarters complex for the largest public pension fund in the U.S., CalPERS. The 1,100,000 gsf facility achieved a LEED New Construction (NC) Gold rating in 2005. Located in downtown Sacramento, the building surpasses California’s stringent energy requirements by thirty percent. The exterior wall incorporates sunshades, light shelves and planters, helping the building exceed aggressive state energy efficiency requirements. The clear glass curtain wall integrates canopies and trellises and leverages daylighting to effectively blend interior and exterior space. Additionally, the building’s fenestration design changes in response to sun orientation, internal program requirements and neighborhood adjacencies. A central courtyard offers both employees and the public a sheltered urban retreat, while a dramatic multi-story glass atrium brings light into the core of the building. The project also received an Honor Award in 2007 from California’s Savings by Design Energy Efficiency Integration Awards.