Beverly Prior Architects
LEED®-CI Gold Office
San Francisco, CA

Beverly Prior Architects is a 30-person architectural firm specializing in public projects that contribute to the sustainability of communities. Located on the top floor of a downtown building, the firm's sustainable-design office offers an expansive space to house an open work environment, training room, break room, library, conference rooms and private offices. Visitors enter the lobby through a 20-foot tall structure recalling a Shinto portal, a physical manifestation of BPA's brand image. Beyond the reception area is the open work area with optimal daylight provided by skylights and three perimeter walls full of windows. A main corridor runs the office's long span and ends in two smaller aisles that form a town square with workstations in the center and private offices on either end. BPA adopted an innovative project implementation tool known as Extreme Project Management (XPM), a delivery process that helps control schedules, assign work tasks, and ensure efficient and correct work. XPM modules occupy the corners of the open work area and provide teaming spaces. Adjacent to the modules are large "bento box" display walls which provide space for pin-ups and presentations. On the south end, a pair of bento boxes frame the training room used for both staff and client meetings. Next to the training room is a break room with library; pivoting doors transform the two rooms into an expansive presentation space.

The team's efforts to meet the goal of LEED-CI Gold certification included the following green building objectives:
•Reduced energy use by 15%
•Specified rapidly renewable resources
•Specified high recycled content materials (52% of materials and furniture)
•Collaborated with contractor to specify locally manufactured products (46% of materials)
•Specified FSC-certified wood
•Improved indoor air quality by using low or no emission products (33% of materials)
•Reduced water consumption by 20%
•Provided for green maintenance and cleaning for office operations
•Recycled over 97% of construction and demolition waste

Awards
IIDA Northern California Chapter, Sustainable Emphasis Merit Award, February 2008

Publications San Francisco Business Times, February 2008

Completion Date: January 2007
Size: 14,000sf

photography by Sharon Risedorph