Sacramento -- The California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) and the Department of General Services (DGS) announced today the addition of Gottfried Technology, Inc. of San Francisco to the environmental design team for the new Cal/EPA headquarters to be built in downtown Sacramento. The consultant joins AC Martin architects and Levine Seegel engineering to help ensure that the building and its construction are environmentally sensitive and fiscally sound.

 

     "Gottfried is a leader in environmental design," said Cal/EPA Secretary Peter Rooney. "We are pleased to bring such forward-thinking people with expertise on environmentally smart buildings into this process."

 

     "We think you can be environmentally savvy and fiscally prudent at the same time," said DGS Director Peter Stamison. "We are proud to have Gottfried on board to help us accomplish that goal."

 

     The 25-story, 950,000 gross square foot structure will be home to 3,500 employees working for California's environmental boards, the Department of Conservation, and the Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs.

 

     The $150,000 consulting contract calls for developing a "green team" of outside experts, building designers, and development personnel who will work to enhance the environmentally friendly features of the building. The team will evaluate resource and energy efficiency, waste minimization, and improved indoor environmental quality, and will identify potential areas where "greening" of the building could be enhanced within the existing budget and schedule.

 

     The Cal/EPA Building incorporates many environmental advances in its design. Recycled materials, including recycled steel and concrete, are being used to construct the building. Floor plans designed to take maximum advantage of natural light, together with the use of "smart lights" and light emitting diodes (LEDs) are being used to hold lighting costs down. The air conditioning system has been designed to feed fresh air, instead of just refrigerated air, to every floor of the building, with the result that the building will be 36 percent more efficient than required by state building codes.

 

     Groundbreaking for the Cal/EPA building is scheduled for June 24, 1998.