January 8, 2009 - Green
The new 13-story, 318,000-square-foot La Jolla Commons Office Tower in San Diego has earned a LEED for Core and Shell Gold certification. Developed as a joint venture between TIAA-CREF and Hines, the $150 million Class A building was initially pre-certified at the Silver level. La Jolla Commons also earned a 92 in the ENERGY STAR Designed to Earn program.
The building’s attractive glass curtainwall includes efficient, insulated, double-pane glass with a clear, low-emissivity coating. About 90 percent of occupants in open-floor plan configurations have access to natural light.
The floorplates were designed in rectangular shapes to allow for concise space planning and lower square-footage requirements for tenants, according to Hines.
The building’s floor-by-floor, direct exchange air conditioning units are more energy efficient than traditional central plant and heat pump cooling systems. For heating, two forced-draft hot water boilers and two variable-volume pumps are located on the roof.
Eighty-two percent of construction waste was recycled, and 34 percent of the building’s materials contain recycled content. About 97 percent of wood used is from sustainable sources.
The building’s tenants include Paul Hastings (a law firm), which leases 55,000 square feet, and U.S. Bank, which leases 27,000 square feet. It is part of a 12-acre, three building campus, which also includes a four-star hotel and a condominium building. 
