Duke Energy Center at Wells Fargo Cultural Campus Case Study
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Duke Energy Center at Wells Fargo Cultural Campus
Case Study
Human Impact: New Ways of Behaving - Building - Being
ˆIf not now, when ... and if not us, who ... for ˆwe are the ones we have been waiting for.˜
Human impacts continue to grow at a rapid rate while the global ecosystem and the services it provides remains a
Me and the World closed system. (Humans cannot create watersheds, gene pools, topsoil, wetlands, rivers or atmospheres, let alone
an entire ecosystem.) One of the most negative human impacts to our ecosystem is the design, construction,
In the larger societal context, we operation and eventual demolition (waste) of the built environment including commercial buildings.
all require a great deal of
resources for physiological, However, the vast majority of building projects are still conceived and
safety, cultural and participation executed according to a world view that hasn't changed since the late
needs…including energy, water, 18th Century and the start of the Industrial Revolution. Then business
and physical materials created decisions were based on the idea that human capital is finite and
from the natural world. Some natural resources are infinitely abundant. The obvious truth of the
examples would be clean water 21st Century is exactly the opposite… there's a surplus of people
worldwide, and a scarcity of the natural resources and systems that
for bathing and cooking and
provide vital life-support services.
electricity for lights to read by at
night (think about how short As a partial response to this emerging awareness, in the summer of
your day was the last time the 2005, Wachovia began its work on a Climate Change Commitment
power was out) to fuels to move that would require it to reduce its greenhouse gas (ghg) emissions by
us along our daily routines or to a significant degree. In a financial services company like Wachovia /
a snorkeling vacation in Costa Wells Fargo the majority of the ghg emissions (nearly 90% in our
Rica. Add to these our case) are attributable to the electricity and other fuels consumed in
our corporate buildings. Therefore it became very apparent that any
seemingly insatiable desire for
new buildings would need to be built to different standards than in the
electronic communications like past.
email, twitter and the internet. In
fact all of these “every day” This timeline coincided directly with the planning of a 1 .5 million square foot tower that would come to be known as
activities form complex and the Duke Energy Center (DEC). In a strategic planning session for the project…the question was raised “If not
robust human consumption now, when? If not us, who? The answer was to set the project on course to be a building designed, constructed
patterns that depend on the and operated to higher standards than “business as usual” where lowest first cost, traditional business partners,
earth's resources. embedded historical practices, doing what had worked in the past…etc was seen as the model of the future.
We came to realize that as buildings and environmental interests increasingly overlap, companies that recognize
Did you know that the United this convergence stand to improve their bottom lines, help solve environmental problems and feel better about what
States has about 5% of the they do all at the same time. Therefore in this project we adopted a series of new integrated design, construction
world’s population but uses 25% and operational methodologies - that challenged us to act, think and believe differently - to ensure that the building
of the world’s resources? With responds to the demands of the 21st Century.
projections that human
population growth will exceed 8 Here are a few examples of how our actions, thought processes and beliefs evolved over the course of this project:
billion by 2025 (a 20% increase
• INCREMENTAL / INDIVIDUAL Changed actions: building-wide consumable recycling program for all
from 2009), the time has come
tenants
to understand the impact of our • TRANSITIONAL / BUILDING Changed thinking: the building is turned OFF until you turn it ON.
choices at home and at work • TRANSFORMATIONAL / INDUSTRY Changed beliefs: all tenants are required in the lease agreement to
and challenge the actions, pursue sustainable design and construction methods by achieving LEED Certification.
thinking and belief systems
evidenced in our daily lives. One of the key integrative methodologies we adopted was the Triple Bottom Line (TBL), an “accounting” of a larger
How might each of us behave set of goals than purely traditional financial targets. The TBL articulates social, ecological and economic measures
differently tomorrow than today of success and we are evaluating the success of this project’s in each of these areas.
having learned a bit more about
the impact of our individual and
collective choices? The phrase Triple Bottom Line (TBL)
TBL was coined in 1997 by John Elkington in his work Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Cent
ury Business. TBL is also referred to as People, Planet, Profit; or to capture and expanded spectrum of values
and criteria for measuring success ˘ Social, Ecological, Economic.
“Leave the world better than you
found it, take no more than you
need, try not to harm life or the PEOPLE PLANET PROFIT
environment, and make amends
if you do.”
- Paul Hawken
SOCIAL ECOLOGICAL ECONOMIC
US Buildings
Residential / Commercial
40% Primary Energy Use
72% Electricity Consumption
39% CO2 Emissions
13% Water Usage
"Green Development is good
STORMWATER MANAGEMENT business. Tenants, owners,
purchasers, and brokers are all
becoming more sophisticated
and are realizing the financial
and social benefits of green
product."
• The roof of a commercial building is often used to house the mechanical equipment. The DEC roof is - Gerald Hines, Chairman, Hines
landscaped with native and adaptive plants. The green roof is a strategy used to mitigate stormwater,
while simultaneously providing tenants a connection between the indoors and outdoors.
• The building harvests approximately 1.6 million gallons of stormwater annually, this results in greatly
reduced impact on city infrastructure as this water is not sent through city pipes to be treated, rather it
is used where and when needed. The utilization of on-site captured stormwater will provide 100% of
the irrigation needs for the plaza and green roof vegetation, eliminating typical potable water usage for
landscaping.
• Green Roofs alleviate the heat island effect by replacing heat absorbing surfaces with plants, shrubs
and small trees that cool the air through evapotranspiration.
75% of the Earth is water. Only 3%
• Retaining storm water for use on site equals a reduced cost to the building owner to release of the Earth’s water is drinkable.
stormwater to the city’s infrastructure. Leaving the tap on while brushing
your teeth can waste 2.4 gallons of
water per minute.
• Captured stormwater is used for irrigation which saves on the cost to purchase potable water from the
city.
• A vegetated roof increases the insulative value of the roof, which reduces the amount of energy need
for cooling, in turn saving the building owner on energy costs.
• A conventional roof is generally replaced every 20 years, while a vegetated roof has a lifespan of more
than 40 years.
"Unless someone like you
cares a whole awful lot -
Nothing is going to get better.
It's not."
— Dr. Seuss
The HUMAN dimension of
building “green”
Health and Productivity of a
business’ total tenant expenses: LIGHTING
Employee Salary & Benefits = 78%
Building-Associated Costs = only 9%
• Daylit spaces can increase occupant productivity and reduce absenteeism. The layout and floor plan
…and if you calculate Revenue, the of the building allows for well daylit space, and with thoughtful interior design all occupants can be
gap is even greater… provided with views to the outside which help create a connection to the outdoors.
… thus if sustainable design can • Custom designed daylight harvesting blinds (Nysan) reflect an abundance of natural daylight into the
help improve overall employee interior of the building, thereby reducing the need for electric lighting.
health & productivity, the payoff is far
greater than any reduction in
building life cycle cost.
Churn 1%
O & M 2%
Rent 6%
Technology 13%
The U.S. represents 5% of the world’s population,
Salary yet we use 25% of the world’s energy...
54%
Benefits
24%
• The exterior wall was designed to utilize well-insulated spandrel glass between floors along with high
Staff performance 'low-e' glazing to reduce the amount of heat gain from sunlight but also allowing natural
daylight into work spaces.
Technology
Source: • Automatic daylight sensors and electronic dimming controls allow the output of the light fixtures to be
Building Carnegie-Mellon University
GSA Study adjusted based on the amount of available daylight. This happens so subtly that the changes in fixture
output are imperceptible, providing the appropriate level of light.
• Occupancy sensors are located throughout tenant spaces and in restrooms so that lights are off
unless tenant needs them.
"Environmental responsibility is the • These efficiency strategies and technologies reduce the demand for electricity required for lighting as
future of real estate—the choice is well as generate less heat, thereby reducing the air conditioning demand.
not whether, but when. As the
public begins to understand that
healthier and more productive
buildings are possible, they will
demand them! Smart companies, • Tenants are required to design the lighting in their space to 15% below what is allowed by the building
well positioned in the marketplace, code. The integrated strategies of occupancy sensors, maximizing daylight into the space, dimmable
will benefit." lighting fixtures, and highly efficient lights contribute to the building using 22% less energy than a
- Douglas Durst, President, The similarly designed conventional building. Less energy used = less money to operate the building.
Durst Organization, Inc.
What are “low-
emitting materials”?
Many building materials emit
indoor air contaminants that are
odorous, irritating and/or
harmful to the comfort and well-
being of installers and
occupants. Some may cause
short-term or long-term health
problems.
These materials emit Volatile
Organic Compounds (VOCs);
you may have seen the term
“low-VOC” on paints and other
products. Formaldehyde is a
well-known VOC known to
BUILDING MATERIALS trigger allergy and asthma
symptoms, and classified as a
“probable human carcinogen”
by the U.S. EPA.
Low-emitting materials release
• All adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings, carpet and composite wood (i.e. plywood) used in the project no VOCs or very low levels of
meet strict standards for limiting the amount of chemical components which off-gas harmful Volatile VOCs.
Organic Compounds (VOCs) into the air. All tenants are also required to use products that meet these
same standards as they design and build out their interior spaces.
• In order to minimize pollutant cross-contamination of regularly occupied areas, walk off mats have been
installed at all high-volume entrances to capture and minimize dirt and particulates from entering the
building. These mats are cleaned routinely to maintain their effectiveness.
• More than 24% of all the materials used in the construction of this project contain post-consumer and/or
pre-consumer recycled content. "You must be the change
you wish to see in the
Some examples include: structural steel, drywall, concrete masonry units, concrete and rebar, and world."
the aluminum in the curtain wall.
—Mahatma Gandhi
• More than 34% of all the materials used in the construction of this project were harvested or extracted
and manufactured within a 500 mile radius of Charlotte, North Carolina - thereby reducing environmental
impact of transportation.
• More than 50% of all of the wood used to construct the building comes from sustainably managed forests
that use the Forest Stewardship Council guidelines to manage their forest land.
• Use of low-emitting construction materials supports a healthy indoor environment, where we spend 90%
of our time. Healthy spaces contribute to increased worker productivity and reduced liability from sick
building syndrome.
If Henry VIII put a plastic
grocery bag in the soil in
1506 it would just now be
rotting.
DEC has recycled 16,500 tons
of construction waste. This is
equivalent to the weight of 3500
average size female African
elephants.
"The ultimate test of man's
conscience may be his
willingness to sacrifice
something today for future
generations whose words of
thanks will not be heard."
— Gaylord Nelson
(Cofounder of
Earth Day)
What is Green Power?
Green power is electricity SITE
produced from renewable
resources, including solar, wind,
geothermal, bio-mass and low-
impact hydro. • The urban context of the project provides walking distance access to many amenities and services
such as a pharmacy, coffee house, restaurants, hotels, museums, a convention center, post office and
Because many utility companies many others.
do not offer green power for direct
• Tenants and visitors to the Duke Energy Center have multiple transportation options:
purchase, one can purchase
Renewable Energy Certificates Secure bicycle racks are provided in the parking deck in addition to showers and changing rooms.
(RECs). RECs fund green power
The site is easily accessible by the Charlotte Area Transit System, bus and rail.
projects in other areas, thereby
“offsetting” your own usage of The quantity of parking allowed by the city was not exceeded during the design and development of the
traditionally produced electricity. cultural arts campus.
The goal is to support new green
power facilities and increase
production.
• Multiple mass-commute options for tenants and visitors reduces the environmental footprint of
traveling to and from the building.
• The parking deck, approximately 23 acres, is stacked under the building to minimize the project
footprint and eliminate surface parking which helps to reduce the heat island effect in cities by
reducing the amount of heat absorbing surfaces. The effect is usually a problem mostly in the
summertime when demand for AC is so high that the urban heat island makes demand even higher.
• Over the course of 4 years, more than 93% of the waste generated during the excavation and
construction of the project was diverted from landfills.
• During excavation 350,000 cubic yards or 40,000 dump trucks of stone were removed and taken to
Martin Marietta Quarry to be crushed and recycled for roads or fill.
• The chosen site was classified as a ‘brownfield’ due to a former gas station. Through the removal and
remediation of 75,000 cubic yards of soil the site was restored, which has helped to revitalize this area
of the city.
The Duke Energy Center’s
progressive transportation
strategies will help save over
110,000 gallons of gas and
nearly 1,000 metric tons of CO2
every year.
This is equivalent to CO2
emissions from the energy use
of 90 homes every year.
Reduce Wells Fargo’s
greenhouse gas
emissions by 20% from
2008 levels by 2018
The goal shows stakeholders that
Wells Fargo intends to do its part
to help address climate change.
Leading scientists and emerging
legislation call for an 80%
reduction in worldwide
greenhouse gas emissions from
1990 levels by 2050.
To reach this goal will require an
all-hands-on-deck effort where
team members from across the
WATER company think about how their
decisions impact the environment
and take action. The goal is
achievable, yet high enough to
inspire team members to be
innovative…
• One of the most significant accomplishments of this project includes the water efficiency measures
implemented to reduce overall usage and consumption.
"It's a job that's never
started that takes the
• Water use by tenants and visitors to the building has been reduced by more than 46% through the use of longest to finish."
highly efficient fixtures in bathrooms. Use of these fixtures saves more than 4.3 million gallons of potable — J.R.R. Tolkien
water from being flushed!
All restrooms are equipped with 0.5 gallons per minute (gpm) lavatories while code requires a maximum of
2.2 gpm
All male restrooms are equipped with waterless urinals compared with conventional urinals which use 1
gallon per flush
All restrooms are equipped with dual flush water closets that use either 1 gallon or 1.6 gallons of water per
flush. Conventional water closets use 1.6 gallons of water for each flush.
• Approximately 25 million gallons of water per year are required for the HVAC system in a building of this
size. 95% contaminated ground water is being captured and treated to supply 100% of the water required
for HVAC systems to cool the building – avoiding the purchase of this water from the city, thereby reducing
the demand on city infrastructure.
By 2025 half the remaining
• It is estimated that the building avoids the purchase of 30 million gallons of water each year, an annual
rainforests may be gone. By 2060
savings of $125K.
there may be no rainforests left at
all, and half the plant and animal
species on earth may be
eliminated. This is the largest
mass extinction since the demise
of the dinosaurs.
“Each of us holds an obligation to
preserve and protect our
environment. Through our
everyday choices and actions, we
collectively have a huge impact on
our world. It's really a simple
concept, but one with far reaching
effects.”
~Keep America Beautiful
Campaign Spokesperson
Tenant
(ten·ant) [ten-uh nt] – noun. An
occupant or inhabitant of any place.
Simply put – YOU. As an
occupant, you are directly
benefitting from Wells Fargo’s
commitment to reduce its
greenhouse gas emissions through
environmental sustainability.
Through Wells Fargo’s investment
and environmental stewardship, the
framework and foundation were laid
for each company housed within
DEC to build its space in
accordance with the LEED
certification requirements.
The employees who work in DEC
benefit directly from
construction of the building and
the TENANTS
from the construction of the very
space in which they work.
Optimizing the natural light within
the space has a direct positive
effect on productivity and enhanced • In keeping with the spirit of environmental stewardship, Wachovia/Wells Fargo is partnering with tenants
human health. Working in an of DEC to achieve LEED certification for Commercial Interiors requirements. Wachovia/Wells Fargo’s
environmentally friendly office investment in LEED for this building will contribute much to the certification process and the achievement
promotes and encourages of this goal for every tenant.
employees to participate in the
practice of workplace sustainability • A primary contribution by Wachovia/Wells Fargo is the publication of Sustainable Guidelines for Tenants.
through the recycling of all paper, These provisions establish a uniform, building-wide standard for sustainable design and construction
practices, achieving a meaningful green development standard for the Duke Energy Center and
plastic and aluminum used each
Childress Klein Properties. Duke Energy Center is the first commercial real estate project in the US to
day.
seek whole building LEED certification, making the collective positive environmental impact greater than
the sum of the parts.
As a tenant of this building, the
hope is you now have a greater • This guideline provides tenants with a tool that both educates and facilitates the implementation of
knowledge and understanding of sustainable design and construction practices for tenant improvement build-out. The guidelines provides
your responsibility to make a comprehensive set of building-specific best practices that will assist tenant teams in maximizing the
decisions that yield sustainable base building features that contribute to achieving a high performance interior work environment and
dividends for the immediate future ultimately supporting the achievement of a LEED rating.
and beyond. As an inhabitant of
this Earth, your decisions to
exercise your responsibility by
cultivating and fostering a lifestyle
of environmental sustainability • Recycling areas were designed into the infrastructure of the buildings so that tenants will have the ability
(behaving) provides for such to recycle paper, cardboard, metal, plastic and glass consumer products right at their desks.
visions and subsequent realities
such as the DEC (building) and its • Tenant leases require that multiple specific requirements within the LEED rating system are met. These
ability to successfully unite include:
commerce and meaningful
ecological balance. Reduced lighting power density – 15% below code requirements
Tenants must use the daylight blinds and dimming lighting ballasts provided by the base building.
Tenants must divert from the landfill at least 50% of their construction, demolition and packaging wastes.
Tenant construction teams must employ an Indoor Air Quality Management plan during the build out of
their space.
Tenants are required to use low-emitting materials which comply with the LEED standards for adhesives,
sealants, paints, coatings, carpet and composite wood products.
Green housekeeping practices will be employed throughout the building reducing the exposure of building
occupants and maintenance personnel from potentially hazardous chemical contaminants that adversely
impact occupant well-being and the environment.
Platinum
• Each floor is equipped with an electrical sub-meter for the purpose of capturing all the energy
consumed on that floor. Consequently, Tenants have direct influence on the amount of energy they
consume. Some of the options Tenants have include dimming the lights, minimizing the use of air
Gold conditioning after working hours, closing window blinds to help reduce the heat load produced by
the sun.
Silver The base building contributes more than 80% of the credits and prerequisites required of a tenant to
achieve Certification. This contribution combined with lease requirements to comply with certain
LEED requirements, ensures certification for all tenants. Additional sustainable design strategies
Certified
are available to all tenants to achieve higher levels of certification, if desired.
The Cost of Doing Nothing …
Nearly a year before Hurricane Katrina pummeled New Orleans,
National Geographic published an article titled “Gone with the Water”,
outlining the hurricane risks for New Orleans. In this article Joe
Suhayda, a retired coastal engineer and professor at Louisiana State
University, who has spent 30 years studying the coast, was quoted
"When you look at the broadest perspective, short-term advantages can
be gained by exploiting the environment. But in the long term you're
going to pay for it. Just like you can spend three days drinking in New
Orleans and it'll be fun. But sooner or later you're going to pay."
After Hurricane Katrina, Congress appropriated $62 billion for relief.
Additionally it has been estimated by Louisiana's two U.S. senators that
the Army Corps of Engineers would need $40 billion to rebuild the
infrastructure, which according to the Washington Post “is about 16
times the amount the Corps has said it would need to protect New
Orleans from a Category 5 hurricane."
Doing the Right Thing …
We began our journey in mid 2005. At that time the things we didn’t know about
sustainable design far out weighed the things we did.
Our first mind shift came in 2006 when we moved from chasing LEED credits to
setting goals. We asked ourselves;
How should this new “sustainable building” impact
People, Profit and the Planet – our “Triple Bottom Line”?
(See “TBL Goals” on page 1)
Our second mind shift came in 2007 after hearing Ed Mazria speak of the 2004
Gone With the Water article (above) in his Architecture 2030’s Call to Action. We
realized we must push harder for the planet in our TBL, driving deeper reductions
in energy, water and natural resource use in the project.
The result of this learning journey can be seen in what the project has achieved,
surpassing set goals by tripling water efficiency and exceeding our recycled
content goal by 20%. DEC, developed by Wells Fargo, is one of the worlds largest
commercial projects to submit for the highest level of LEED certification –
Platinum (stay turned for the results 2Q 2010). In addition, DEC is the largest
LEED Certified office building to require that all tenants achieve LEED
Certification as a condition of their lease.
We hope the approach and strategies listed on the preceding pages inspires the
reader to think differently about taking care of our planet. So many times the cost
of doing the right thing gets in the way of actually doing it. As occupants of this
planet we have to shift our thinking. The fact of the matter is the cost of doing
nothing is far greater.
Duke Energy Center
TBL Goal Forecast
Energy 28% efficiency 22% efficiency
Rendering by Mitchell Kearney
Water 25% efficiency 75% efficiency
Recycled Content 20% 25%
Productivity 2% 2% increase
3%premium 4%premium
Profits
10 year payback 11 year payback
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