Providence, RI – The new 327,000sf headquarters for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island in downtown Providence demonstrates the value of a green workplace and achieves significant and measureable cost savings. Working with Cambridge, MA-based Symmes Maini & McKee Associates and Dimeo Construction, the 1,100-employee health care company fulfilled its health and wellness mission through the design of its new 13-story headquarters (completed October 2009). The team’s success has translated into high productivity, low turnover and high marks in the form of awards and recognition.
Among the achievements of note:
· Energy cost reduction: The new headquarters building has reduced energy usage by more than 21% beyond the requirements of ASHRAE 90.1-2004., according to a third party review of building systems and benchmarking against commercial real estate data. Primary savings come from selection of high performance HVAC equipment, building envelope technology, and reduced reliance on electrical power through innovative lighting design and ample use of daylighting
· Sustainable Interior Design: The building’s interior space is designed as open office floors that benefit from abundant natural light and feature views through the floor-to-ceiling glass curtain-wall facades
· Rainwater collection and water recycling: Stormwater is collected from all roofs and drains, and stored onsite; recycled water is used in the building’s cooling towers, and recycled graywater is used to flush toilets and urinals; 20,000 gallons of rainwater are collected, stored and reused, and water savings are 31% over conventional office benchmarks
· Green roofs: Three vegetated green roof areas ease urban heat island effect; 25% of the roof surfaces are vegetated or green roofs
· Curtain wall: High-performance insulated glass reduces solar gain in summer and keeps heat inside in winter contributing toward the overall building energy savings. Daylight reaches 75% of interior spaces, and 90% of occupied spaces have exterior views.
· Transportation: The new building is within walking distance of 26 bus lines and steps away from Providence’s commuter rail and Amtrak station. BCBS RI pays for public transit passes; preferred parking for bicycles and hybrid cars is provided.
· Resource recycling and reuse: 86% of all waste materials during construction were recycled; more than 20% of building materials contain recycled content. An aggressive reuse and recycling program is in place, embraced by BCBS RI employees; compost and recycling stations throughout the building are cutting the waste stream; green-certified furniture is used throughout the building.
· Printing Protocols: printing in the building was transformed into a high-tech centralized service, allowing employees to print from their computers to central printing stations. This not only helps keep the insurance provider in compliance with the confidentiality requirements of healthcare regulators, it also saves the company significantly compared with cost and paper waste of individual desktop printing
· Indoor Air Quality: The ventilation and air conditioning system serving the building is automatically controlled to adjust the amount of conditioned outdoor air to occupied spaces based on occupancy using a demand control ventilation strategy; when occupancy is high, the systems increases the amount of ventilation air as appropriate; when occupancy is low, the system automatically reduces the amount of outdoor air, thereby saving a substantial amount of energy.
The biggest transformation within the BCBS workplace is in the employee participation and leadership in the new green workplace. Shortly after occupancy, a green educational program was started. Signage was placed in break rooms and the cafeteria regarding what could be recycled and composted. The staff embraced the recycling of paper, plastic and other materials, and the sustainability program experienced its greatest boost with the eager adoption of green practices and programs throughout.
Today, the employees recycle all paper, and was recently named the #1 recycler among clients of Cintas, the document management company. An estimated 5200 trees are saved annually by the recycling, along with 718 barrels of oil and 2.2 million gallons of water that would have been required to produce new paper.
“We’ve been amazed at the way our staff has responded to the opportunity for a healthier, more sustainable workplace,” stated Tom Bovis. “As a health and wellness company, the practices adopted throughout our business are proving to be a powerful contributor to productivity and staff satisfaction.”
Awards:
Providence Business News: 10 Best Places to Work (2010)
Environmental Design & Construction Magazine: 2010 Design Excellence Award (Commercial category)
CoreNet Global New England: 2010 Best New Workplace Award (Large Building category)
Design/Construction Team:
Architecture/Interior Design: Symmes Maini & McKee Associates
Contractor: Dimeo Construction Company
MEP/Civil/Structural Engineering: Symmes Maini & McKee Associates
Landscape Architecture: Symmes Maini & McKee Associates
Lighting Designer: Lisa Zidel Lighting Design
Sustainability Team:
LEED Consultant: Symmes Maini & McKee Associates
Commissioning Agent: BVH Integrated Services
Energy Modeling: DMI Inc.