1315 Peachtree Street

1315 Peachtree Street, a 1986 office structure transformed by Perkins+Will into their new high performance civic focused Atlantic office, has been able to achieve an excellence in sustainable design practices upholding their values in both work and practice. Utilising modern technology it has achieved both the highest LEED Platinum certification in the Northern hemisphere and met the 2030 Challenge for reduced greenhouse gas emissions and elimination of toxic and hazardous substances, becoming an educational tool and example for sustainable design.

1315 Peachtree Street highlights the increased energy savings made through adaptive reuse and recycling an existing building rather than demolition and more energy efficient new construction, opting to retain 91 percent of the original structure as well as donating 80 percent of the furnishings to non for profit organizations. Located in the heart of Midtown Atlanta, at the time suffering a vacancy rate of over 20%, the new office sought to improve the streetscape of the surrounding urban environment. Through the introduction of a new civic plaza, the elimination of one third of the building’s parking space, and easy access from neighbouring towns and The Arts Center Transit Station, 33 percent of the building’s occupants commute by walking, bicycling, carpooling and using mass transit.

Perkins+Will sought to have a greenhouse gas reduction of 60 percent, as the original building used power generated by burning coal, extremely carbon intensive and harmful to the environment. Through natural gas-fired microturbines to generate power, and utilising water rather than air to heat and cool the building, efficiently extracting the maximum amount of energy from the natural gas sources, and using water rather than CFCs or any other hazardous substances allowed for a 67 percent decrease in CO2 emissions and reduced toxic building materials. Due to previous encounters with drought in the city of Atlanta, efforts were made to maximise use of non-potable water resulting in 77 percent reduction of regulated potable water. Rainwater is harvested into a 10,000 gallon cistern which is then filtered and treated with ultraviolet light onsite and used entirely on all flush fixtures and landscape irrigation. Excess rainwater is sent to the bioswales to naturally recharge the aquifers.

Perkins+Will designed open work spaces on the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth floors supporting collaboration and creative work environment for office-wide meetings and events. By incorporating a high performance curtain wall and glazing system, Perkins+Will were able to minimise solar heat gain and glare from the west, create two-storey heights and include an exterior terrace. A steel trellis and motorised shade system allows daylight but also prevents an excess of sunlight penetrating the space, the overall effect through natural daylight and useable outdoor space, reducing lighting energy by 67% Furthermore, a focus upon the key concept of long life loose fit has been demonstrated in 60% of the structure being entirely demountable and designed to be deconstructed and reused. A flexible modular workspace strategy is shown in moveable diving partitions allowing customisation, multi function display walls and flexible team furniture.

1315 Peachtree Street has received multiple awards and continues to receive high praise from the community for its innovative use of modern technology to create an inspiring building which upholds the highest principles of sustainable design.

References

1. GreenSource. “1315 Peachtree Street.” Last modified January, 2013. http://greensource.construction.com/green_building_projects/2013/1301-1315-peachtree-street.asp2. The American Institute of Architects. “1315 Peachtree Street.” Last modified 2013. http://www.aiatopten.org/node/84
3. Arch Daily. “Exemplar of Sustainable Architecture: 1315 Peachtree / Perkins+Will” Last modified 8th March, 2012. http://www.archdaily.com/215002/exemplar-of-sustainable-architecture-1315-peachtree-perkinswill/

Image credits

1. Eduard Hueber, 1315 Peachtree Street, GreenSource, viewed 29 July, 2013, <http://greensource.construction.com/green_building_projects/2013/1301-1315-peachtree-street.asp>