Duke Energy Center at Wells Fargo Cultural Campus Case Study

Duke Energy Center at Wells Fargo Cultural Campus Case Study Human Impact: New Ways of Behaving - Building - Being ˆIf not now, when ... and if not us, who ... for ˆwe are the ones we have been waiting for.˜ Me and the World Human impacts continue to grow at a rapid rate while the global ecosystem and the services it provides remains a closed system. (Humans cannot create watersheds, gene pools, topsoil, wetlands, rivers or atmospheres, let alone an entire ecosystem.) One of the most negative human impacts to our ecosystem is the design, construction, In the larger societal context, we operation and eventual demolition (waste) of the built environment including commercial buildings. all require a great deal of resources for physiological, However, the vast majority of building projects are still conceived and safety, cultural and participation executed according to a world view that hasn't changed since the late 18th Century and the start of the Industrial Revolution. Then business needs…including energy, water, and physical materials created decisions were based on the idea that human capital is finite and natural resources are infinitely abundant. The obvious truth of the from the natural world. Some examples would be clean water 21st Century is exactly the opposite… there's a surplus of people worldwide, and a scarcity of the natural resources and systems that for bathing and cooking and provide vital life-support services. electricity for lights to read by at night (think about how short As a partial response to this emerging awareness, in the summer of your day was the last time the 2005, Wachovia began its work on a Climate Change Commitment power was out) to fuels to move that would require it to reduce its greenhouse gas (ghg) emissions by us along our daily routines or to a significant degree. In a financial services company like Wachovia / Wells Fargo the majority of the ghg emissions (nearly 90% in our a snorkeling vacation in Costa case) are attributable to the electricity and other fuels consumed in Rica. Add to these our our corporate buildings. Therefore it became very apparent that any seemingly insatiable desire for new buildings would need to be built to different standards than in the electronic communications like past. email, twitter and the internet. In fact all of these “every day” This timeline coincided directly with the planning of a 1 .5 million square foot tower that would come to be known as activities form complex and the Duke Energy Center (DEC). In a strategic planning session for the project…the question was raised “If not robust human consumption now, when? If not us, who? The answer was to set the project on course to be a building designed, constructed patterns that depend on the and operated to higher standards than “business as usual” where lowest first cost, traditional business partners, earth's resources. embedded historical practices, doing what had worked in the past…etc was seen as the model of the future. We came to realize that as buildings and environmental interests increasingly overlap, companies that recognize Did you know that the United this convergence stand to improve their bottom lines, help solve environmental problems and feel better about what States has about 5% of the they do all at the same time. Therefore in this project we adopted a series of new integrated design, construction world’s population but uses 25% and operational methodologies - that challenged us to act, think and believe differently - to ensure that the building of the world’s resources? With responds to the demands of the 21st Century. projections that human population growth will exceed 8 Here are a few examples of how our actions, thought processes and beliefs evolved over the course of this project: billion by 2025 (a 20% increase from 2009), the time has come • INCREMENTAL / INDIVIDUAL Changed actions: building-wide consumable recycling program for all tenants to understand the impact of our • TRANSITIONAL / BUILDING Changed thinking: the building is turned OFF until you turn it ON. choices at home and at work • TRANSFORMATIONAL / INDUSTRY Changed beliefs: all tenants are required in the lease agreement to and challenge the actions, pursue sustainable design and construction methods by achieving LEED Certification. thinking and belief systems evidenced in our daily lives. One of the key integrative methodologies we adopted was the Triple Bottom Line (TBL), an “accounting” of a larger How might each of us behave set of goals than purely traditional financial targets. The TBL articulates social, ecological and economic measures differently tomorrow than today of success and we are evaluating the success of this project’s in each of these areas. having learned a bit more about the impact of our individual and collective choices? The phrase Triple Bottom Line (TBL) TBL was coined in 1997 by John Elkington in his work Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Cent ury Business. TBL is also referred to as People, Planet, Profit; or to capture and expanded spectrum of values and criteria for measuring success ˘ Social, Ecological, Economic. “Leave the world better than you found it, take no more than you need, try not to harm life or the PEOPLE PLANET PROFIT environment, and make amends if you do.” - Paul Hawken SOCIAL ECOLOGICAL ECONOMIC US Buildings Residential / Commercial 40% Primary Energy Use 72% Electricity Consumption 39% CO2 Emissions 13% Water Usage "Green Development is good STORMWATER MANAGEMENT business. Tenants, owners, purchasers, and brokers are all becoming more sophisticated and are realizing the financial and social benefits of green product." • The roof of a commercial building is often used to house the mechanical equipment. The DEC roof is - Gerald Hines, Chairman, Hines landscaped with native and adaptive plants. The green roof is a strategy used to mitigate stormwater, while simultaneously providing tenants a connection between the indoors and outdoors. • The building harvests approximately 1.6 million gallons of stormwater annually, this results in greatly reduced impact on city infrastructure as this water is not sent through city pipes to be treated, rather it is used where and when needed. The utilization of on-site captured stormwater will provide 100% of the irrigation needs for the plaza and green roof vegetation, eliminating typical potable water usage for landscaping. • Green Roofs alleviate the heat island effect by replacing heat absorbing surfaces with plants, shrubs and small trees that cool the air through evapotranspiration. 75% of the Earth is water. Only 3% • Retaining storm water for use on site equals a reduced cost to the building owner to release of the Earth’s water is drinkable. stormwater to the city’s infrastructure. Leaving the tap on while brushing your teeth can waste 2.4 gallons of water per minute. • Captured stormwater is used for irrigation which saves on the cost to purchase potable water from the city. • A vegetated roof increases the insulative value of the roof, which reduces the amount of energy need for cooling, in turn saving the building owner on energy costs. • A conventional roof is generally replaced every 20 years, while a vegetated roof has a lifespan of more than 40 years. "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot - Nothing is going to get better. It's not." — Dr. Seuss The HUMAN dimension of building “green” Health and Productivity of a business’ total tenant expenses: LIGHTING Employee Salary & Benefits = 78% Building-Associated Costs = only 9% • Daylit spaces can increase occupant productivity and reduce absenteeism. The layout and floor plan …and if you calculate Revenue, the of the building allows for well daylit space, and with thoughtful interior design all occupants can be gap is even greater… provided with views to the outside which help create a connection to the outdoors. … thus if sustainable design can • Custom designed daylight harvesting blinds (Nysan) reflect an abundance of natural daylight into the help improve overall employee interior of the building, thereby reducing the need for electric lighting. health & productivity, the payoff is far greater than any reduction in building life cycle cost. Churn 1% O & M 2% Rent 6% Technology 13% The U.S. represents 5% of the world’s population, Salary yet we use 25% of the world’s energy... 54% Benefits 24% • The exterior wall was designed to utilize well-insulated spandrel glass between floors along with high Staff performance 'low-e' glazing to reduce the amount of heat gain from sunlight but also allowing natural daylight into work spaces. Technology Source: • Automatic daylight sensors and electronic dimming controls allow the output of the light fixtures to be Building Carnegie-Mellon University GSA Study adjusted based on the amount of available daylight. This happens so subtly that the changes in fixture output are imperceptible, providing the appropriate level of light. • Occupancy sensors are located throughout tenant spaces and in restrooms so that lights are off unless tenant needs them. "Environmental responsibility is the • These efficiency strategies and technologies reduce the demand for electricity required for lighting as future of real estate—the choice is well as generate less heat, thereby reducing the air conditioning demand. not whether, but when. As the public begins to understand that healthier and more productive buildings are possible, they will demand them! Smart companies, • Tenants are required to design the lighting in their space to 15% below what is allowed by the building well positioned in the marketplace, code. The integrated strategies of occupancy sensors, maximizing daylight into the space, dimmable will benefit." lighting fixtures, and highly efficient lights contribute to the building using 22% less energy than a - Douglas Durst, President, The similarly designed conventional building. Less energy used = less money to operate the building.

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