Sacramento — The California Department of General Services (DGS) today announced that three Franchise Tax Board buildings—part of the State Office Building at Butterfield Way expansion project in Sacramento—have been awarded green building certification for their energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly design and construction

To mark the achievement, a U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) plaque designating the project as ‘LEED-New Construction Silver’ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) was unveiled today during the FTB’s annual ‘Green Fair’ for employees and the local community.

The USGBC is the nation's foremost coalition of building industry leaders working to promote buildings that are energy-efficient, environmentally responsible, healthy places within which to work and conduct business.

"Building green saves energy, conserves resources and helps us meet the ambitious goals Governor Schwarzenegger laid out for us when he signed the Global Warming Solutions Act and established his Green Building Initiative," said State and Consumer Services Agency Secretary Rosario Marin.

Governor Schwarzenegger's Green Building Initiative (Executive Order S-20-04) directs state agencies to reduce California's energy use at state-owned buildings 20 percent by 2015, while also reducing the impact state buildings have on climate change. His executive order further directs that new state construction and major renovation projects should meet a minimum of LEED-NC Silver certification in order to save energy, conserve water, divert waste from landfills and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

“These Franchise Tax Board buildings are shining examples of how the state of California is designing, constructing and maintaining its buildings in order to minimize their environmental footprints, cut operating costs, and provide healthier places to conduct state business,” said DGS Director Will Bush.

The one million square-foot expansion project includes the California Building, which serves as the campus’ town center, along with the four-story Sacramento Building and the three-story San Francisco Building that connect two existing buildings at the southern end of the site. The expansion project also includes a warehouse and a central plant.

The new buildings were designed to exceed California energy efficiency standards by more than 20 percent. Some of the energy-and resource-saving features include the following:

• Use of highly energy-efficient lighting fixtures, mechanical equipment, insulation, sunshades and screens, and double-pane window glazing reduces heating and cooling needs.
• Each of the buildings utilizes sustainable materials that feature high-recycled content and low-emissions including paints, sealants, carpeting, ceiling tiles and modular furniture.
• Ninety percent of occupied spaces receive natural daylight and have outdoor views.
• A lighting control system automatically adjusts with the amount of natural daylight entering the work space from perimeter windows to reduce energy spent on lighting systems.
• 190,000 square feet of “cool” white roofing installed atop the new Sacramento and San Francisco buildings reflects heat from the sun keeping inside temperatures – and cooling costs – down.
• Low-flow plumbing, exterior irrigation fixtures and drought tolerant landscaping conserve water.
• Surface parking lots use “bio-swales” to slow the rate of storm water runoff so as not to overwhelm storm sewer systems, which also reduces erosion. The bio-swales use vegetation to filter pollutants before runoff gets to streams and rivers.
• Resource-efficient construction practices diverted more than 80 percent of construction waste from going to landfills.
• Facility located next door to Butterfield Light Rail Station to encourage use of alternative transit by employees and visitors.
• Thirty percent of parking lots are shaded by 576 trees.

FTB continues to look forward by ensuring the infrastructure is in place on the Sacramento and San Francisco buildings to expand FTB’s existing 470 kW rooftop solar PV power system.

To date, 13 state buildings are LEED certified. 

For more information on the Governor’s Green Building Initiative, please visit http://www.green.ca.gov.  To see California’s Green Building Directory, please visit http://www.greenbuildings.dgs.ca.gov.

#          #          #