NewswireToday - /newswire/ - Oakland, CA, United States, 07/23/2007 - Gerard Lee Architects selected as LEED consultants on new Menlo Park office building project.

Gerard Lee Architects was recently selected as LEED consultants on the 4040 Campbell Ave Office building in Menlo Park. As LEED consultant on this project, GLA initiated a LEED charette to pin point specific credits that could or should be implemented on this new office building. Davidson + Seals are the architects for this project.

A comprehensive analysis of the project and the goals of the client, design team and contractor enabled GLA to identify the proper LEED rating vehicle to register the project. As a 40,000 square foot office building which the client would not be occupying, it was advised that their best course would be to utilize the LEED CS (core & shell) rating system on this project.

During the LEED charette meeting, GLA identified certain credits that could be achieved and worked with all the involved parties to identify credits that each responsible party felt they could or would be able to implement. Their efforts helped the entire team understand the differences between LEED NC (new construction) and LEED CS, while explaining the advantages of each rating system as it related to particular project types. For a LEED CS project, it takes a minimum of 23 points out of 61 possible credits for a project to be LEED certified. A preliminary study indicated that the project could potentially obtain 31 points, placing it well within LEED Silver. It is normal for design teams to try to obtain more points than needed because the process of construction, certification and verification can sometimes result in far less points being granted by the USGBC.

As a LEED consultant, GLA worked with each subconsultant design team member, client representative and contractor to help explain and define the means to achieve the necessary credits. Their experience with sustainable design and LEED projects enabled them to help direct the project in a manner that balanced first costs and long term operational costs savings.

GLA (gleearchitects.com) is constantly striving to stay at the forefront of sustainable building design technology. The principal of GLA is LEED accredited, familiar with sustainable alternative construction and well versed in the LEED design and certification process. The firm is presently waiting for completion of a business practices assessment for Green Business Certification. This is in keeping with the belief that sustainability should be implemented in house as well as in the buildings they design.

Agency / Source: Gerard Lee Architects

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