The NRDC Midwest Offices are the first of their kind to receive certification from the Living Building Challenge.
The Midwest Offices of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), located in Chicago’s historic Civic Opera House, is the first tenant improvement project in the world to achieve certification through the Living Building Challenge™. In keeping with the NRDC’s mission to be the “Earth’s Best Defense,” the design demonstrates the organization’s commitment to a cleaner, stronger environment. To achieve Petal Certification, the project team focused on the Site, Materials, and Beauty Petals to create a vibrant and engaging workspace that supports the important environmental advocacy that takes place within it .
Despite the fact that the project budget and schedule were both set before the team elected to pursue Petal Certification, the Midwest Offices were completed both on time and on budget. This accomplishment is a testament to both the commitment of the project team and to the feasibility of meeting the rigorous requirements of the Materials, Site and Beauty Petals without incurring additional costs.
LOCALLY SOURCED, REUSED MATERIALS
Further embodying the culture and spirit of NRDC, a number of the organization’s goals were addressed practically in the office design, and the new office blends this practicality with aspects intended solely for human delight. In order to reduce the global warming impact of construction, all materials and resources were locally sourced (including the staff that worked on the project) to reduce shipping and travel distances. These materials were then reimagined to match the spirit of the new office and bring in a new aesthetic – for example, etched glass from the old office depicting native Illinois prairie scenes was updated and installed in conference room doors in the new office. In addition, custom wall panels were constructed using wood trim found at the building reuse warehouse, the reception desk was fashioned from reclaimed wood, and the granite slab in the pantry was rescued from an old project that was never completed. These reused materials capture the nature of NRDC, but also add beauty and aesthetic pleasure to the office.
NRDC used only materials and finishes with low quantities of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in order to minimize pollution and to protect the health of employees and visitors. Improved indoor air quality is not only important to the physical wellbeing of those within the office, but also provides an appealing and inspiring environment. Just two days after the office was opened, a few delivery people remarked on how the air smelled clean like trees and nature, and were shocked to find out that construction had only just been completed. While the air quality likely contributed to this observation, it is our belief that it also a result of the general spirit that the office exudes, from the open floor plan to the recycled woods and glass, that brings beauty even to the eyes of the passing visitor.
Read more about the Living Building Challenge Certification here.