On December 11th at the 20th Annual Green Gala, the USGBC California (USGBC-CA) community - for the first time representing the entire state - will honor movers and shakers from across the state’s green building industry during the 14th Annual California Green Building Awards and Community Awards. The Orange County Sanitation District Headquarters, designed by HDR, has been selected as Project of the Year, with a deeply sustainable and cost-effective design that exceeds EPA standards, offers Fountain Valley's first pedestrian bridge transporting hot water, generating 60% of new Headquarters’ power, and provides a strong civic space.
 
 Twenty additional exceptional individual projects are being awarded, from entertainment, tech, cultural and educational institutions to hospitality, county buildings and parks. USGBC-CA is also proud to recognize Community Leaders, people or organizations that reflect the spirit of community, including Rising Sun, Bottom Line Utility Solutions, Green Sports Alliance and NBCUniversal (full list below).
 
“This has been a remarkable year where we brought together leaders of our industry, unifying green building communities across California to accelerate the scope and scale of our work in response to the climate crisis,” states USGBC-CA Executive Director Ben Stapleton. “Our California Green Building Awards now represent the leading buildings across this beautiful and diverse state, raising the bar for what is possible for our built environment to better support the communities they serve, not just here, but everywhere.”
 
 The California Green Building Awards (formerly known as the Sustainable Innovation Awards) affirm a project team’s commitment and leadership in creating a sustainable built environment for all. The awards are merit-based, for built and designed (unbuilt) projects, that go above and beyond in demonstrating innovation, sustainable strategies, and exemplary performance in the fields of sustainability, occupant health and community engagement. These awards are open to California projects, and while a certification (or pending) under any sustainability rating system is preferred, it is not required.
 
CA GREEN BUILDING AWARDS -- Project Teams at the end:
 
Project of the Year

• Orange County Sanitation District Headquarters (Fountain Valley) - complete information below  

The annual Project of the Year embodies not only premier green building practices but reflects the complete spirit of the CA Green Building Awards. The new Orange County Sanitation District Headquarters builds on the District’s long commitment to sustainable wastewater treatment that exceed EPA standards. For decades they have been collecting on-site biogas and running it through a central cogeneration plant to generate electricity, hot water, and steam, which reduced CO2 emissions by 95%. Their new Headquarters continues this commitment to high-performance, cost-effective design that achieves Net Zero Energy with an innovative strategy to capturing excess hot water from the plant and bringing it across Fountain Valley's first pedestrian bridge to provide 60% of new Headquarters’ power. Prior, they had over 3000 visitors per year, and with their new Headquarters and deep commitment to serving their community, they aim to attract even more visitors with a community board room and interactive exhibits to educate the community about wastewater treatment, public health, and sustainability.
 
 Additional highlights include:

• On target for Net Zero (NZ) ILFI Zero Energy Certification, using an innovative strategy to deliver 60% of the new HQ’s power with the excess hot water run from the Central Plant across the pedestrian bridge, and adding the remaining 45% with on-site photovoltaic arrays on the roof and shading the parking.
• On target to deliver >58% Reduction in embodied carbon compared to a typical steel building, demonstrating mass timber as a viable, cost effective and beautiful construction material in Southern California.
• On target to achieve LEED Gold with a pathway to Platinum.
• The team worked with and shifted the client’s perspective to embrace a sustainable approach, proving that the design would not cost more and would payback significant dividends over the life of the building. Key supporting strategies: 
  • Use of hybrid mass timber steel structure to reduce the weight of the building and thereby reduce the costly caisson footings for a net savings.
  • Use of mass timber as the biophilic finishes throughout the facility to make a memorable interior rather than the use of fancy finish materials. 
  • Careful selection of healthy, durable, red-list free materials.
• The team delivered a beautiful and welcoming civic building to serve the OC community as part of a new model walkable neighborhood plan.