The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) and Ryan Companies US, Inc. announced that the GSA FBI Phoenix Division Office Building has been awarded LEED Gold certification for new construction by the USGBC.
Completed in February 2012, the 225,000 SF facility sits on 12.2 acres at 21711 N. 7th St. in Phoenix. The FBI Phoenix Division building won the 2013 RED Award for Best Office Project.
“We are extremely proud to be involved in a project where, in addition to security, energy efficiency and sustainability were key design goals,” said John Strittmatter, President of Ryan’s Southwest region. “To be a part of the team that achieved this prestigious designation is an honor.”
In working toward LEED Gold certification, the design and construction team incorporated a variety of sustainable and energy-saving elements into the building. Some of these features include the use of energy efficient mechanical systems which provide a 30% reduction in energy usage over the current City of Phoenix building code requirements, and the use of low-water plumbing fixtures which achieve a 40% reduction in building water usage. In addition to energy- and water-efficient systems and fixtures, Ryan used Energy Savings Performance utility agreements to achieve, maintain, and/or exceed the ENERGY STAR benchmark.
Additional sustainable features include desert themed landscaping which was utilized across the entire site and will reduce landscape water usage by 50%. The use of desert cobble in lieu of 100% decomposed granite (DG) produced a more natural native desert appearance and reduced transportation costs by reducing the amount of material imported to the site.
Ryan developed and constructed the new, build-to-suit Class A office building for the GSA with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) serving as the anchor tenant. The FBI consolidated four of its Phoenix locations into the new building and, in doing so, increased cost savings and organizational efficiencies. The building was also named a “Design Excellence” project by the GSA, which recognizes excellence in public architecture, engineering and construction.
