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>
