The reception area features beautiful – and sustainable – bamboo flooring and lots of glass for a very open feel.

    Until recently, EDAW Inc., an international firm specializing in landscape architecture, planning/urban design, and environmental planning, occupied the sixth floor. It was a pretty typical late-20th century office space, with a lot of closed spaces and anonymous hallways. If you weren’t in one of the offices, you wouldn’t even see the spectacular views of San Diego Bay and downtown San Diego.

    When the fifth floor tenant moved out, they leased that space to “remake” their office. Instead of closed offices and rather dingy hallways, they established an open plan with views of the city, natural lighting, and a light, open feeling. Moreover, being a firm specializing in environmental planning, they decided to make their office a showplace for sustainable architecture and construction.

EDAW offices: before and after

    A trailhead located at the company’s front desk and entry area tells the story of each change the tenant improvement included in order to gain certification. Accompanying plaques strategically placed throughout the office give detailed information on materials used, and methods in use in order to maintain a green office space. As proof of their intent, they have followed all the steps required to achieve LEED Certification, a real challenge for a building of this age.

    What you will see on the tour is the nearly-completed result of this project. It looks like a “normal” office space, but just about every aspect of the space respects the goal of sustainable development. The workstation dividers look like ordinary dividers – but the panels are covered with recycled fabric. The chairs are C2C – cradle-to-cradle – meaning that when they have reached the end of their lives the will be returned to the manufacturer who will recycle the materials into new chairs. The carpet – also C2C – is laid in 2-foot squares that can be individually replaced in high-traffic areas.

    There are far too many individual features to list here. Suffice it to say that what you will see is the state-of-the-art in sustainable office design. Your tour guides – environmental planning professionals – will show you each of the features, and explain how each contributes to this outstanding project.

The office has innumerable sustainable features. On the left, the kitchen counter is made from recycled glass and waste paper – in this case, shredded counterfeit money – with no toxic binders or glues. The inset panel in the workspace dividers, shown on the right, is made from recycled fabric.