-By Danine Alati, Photography by David Sundberg/Esto

When the National Audubon Society—one of the oldest and best-known U.S. wildlife conservation groups—sought a new, eco-friendly New York headquarters with a modest budget of $150 per sq. ft., FXFOWLE architect Guy Geier, FAIA, IIDA, LEED AP, pushed the challenge a step further: "I took the position that as the Audubon Society they should settle for nothing less than a LEED Platinum building, and I guaranteed that we could do it within their budget," says Geier, senior partner at the New York architecture firm. "At first [the client] set the goal of LEED-CI Silver, but I knew we could do better. And we really didn't have to make any sacrifices; it was just all careful consideration."

Audubon has a history of environmentally responsible design. Its previous New York headquarters was located in what was considered one of the city's first green buildings back in the late '80s. The organization purchased the eight-story, 100,000-sq.-ft. building and outfitted the interiors with sustainable design features before the USGBC's LEED certification even existed. When it outgrew the building, the Audubon Society researched a new space that would best achieve its company mission as well as environmentally sustainable objectives. FXFOWLE was on board once the site selection was narrowed down to three spaces, and Geier says that when he exited the elevator into this raw, 27,500-sq.-ft. space in lower Manhattan's up-and-coming Hudson Square district, he knew it was the perfect spot. "First, the amount of natural light was fantastic. There were big windows, tall ceilings, and a clean floor area. It was a pure rectangle with no bumps or strange conditions," Geier recalls. "There was no ductwork in the space, only sprinklers. [This space that previously housed a printing company had been gutted and painted white.] It was literally a white box, the ultimate clean canvas."


Ken Hamilton, vice president, property and facilities management, at Audubon, says the client team wanted to create something green but that it wasn't necessarily looking for the greenest building around. "We wanted a space suitable in size and price that could be as green as possible, located in a good neighborhood, and close to public transportation," he says. "This raw space did not have a lot of given elements, so we were able to put in our own systems, which saved money and energy and contributed to LEED points."

The space was ripe with opportunity. Twelve-ft.-tall ceilings allowed for the installation of raised floors, which house an underfloor air distribution system, and the raised floors themselves were recycled from another project—an effort that saved some $50,000. The designers installed complete towers for mechanical systems. "The fact that we could design all mechanical systems specific to needs and not tie into existing conditions enabled us to create something highly efficient," Geier notes. "Early on in the project, engineers discussed how efficient we could be if we could do an underfloor air system, and this space lent itself perfectly to that. Even the windowsills were the right height so that they wouldn't be too low once the raised floor was added."

The client's flexibility helped FXFOWLE to make environmentally conscious design decisions. Previously scattered among several floors of the old building, the Audubon Society wanted to change its company culture to foster more collaboration. An open plan office environment would facilitate interaction and teamwork, but breaking out of the traditional office layout proved to be a bit challenging for employees who had worked at the company for decades. "It took a bit of convincing," admits Geier, "because they were concerned about noise and privacy issues, but once we showed them how we could address these issues within the open plan context, they were on board." Herman Miller's My Studio workstations— or "officicles," as Hamilton coined the term—offered a viable solution. Those employees previously closed off in private offices were relocated to glass enclosed workspaces, while others moved from traditional cubicles to lower-height workstations. Two sound-masking systems—one on the glass walls of individual offices and conference rooms and another overhead throughout the rest of the workspaces—create white noise that muffles sound. And K-13 spray-on insulation applied to ceiling work not only conceals systems but also provides sound absorption and does not off-gas, as it is a water-based, cellulose product.

"All materials selected for this project—without exception—are sustainable to one degree or another," Geier attests. Wherever possible, the architects selected products that were manufactured within a 500-mile radius to reduce energy associated with transportation. Carpeting is recycled and recyclable, and workstations and chairs are Cradle-to-Cradle certified. Barn siding on the walls in the reception area and corridor is reclaimed wood from New York state, and tables in the commons area are from Jessica Wickham, a New York woodworker who manufactures one-of-a-kind solid wood products using sustainably sourced local hardwoods. Countertops are compressed cardboard, Xorel wallcoverings by Carnegie are made from recycled soda bottles, and the art room features rapidly renewable cork floors and cabinets made of Plyboo, a laminated plywood made from bamboo. Use of low-VOC paints, sealants, and adhesives enhances indoor air quality. Lutron's EcoSytem of digital electronic dimming ballasts, controls, and environmental sensors harvests natural daylight and provides an energy savings of 40 percent; the large windows allow for so much daylight penetration—even on grey days—that minimal artificial lighting is required. And low-flow, sensor-driven faucets in bathrooms, dual flush automatic valves, and waterless urinals offer a water conservation of 40 percent.

These environmentally conscious design decisions did not cost more money than non-eco-friendly options, Geier stresses. "Most manufacturers these days have moved into the sustainable realm, which offers many options. Actually, I'm not even sure what we would pick if we had to pick non-sustainable materials and furnishings. We've purged our library of non-sustainable products," he says.

"It was a series of happy accidents and smart choices that allowed us to achieve this LEED-Platinum building," Hamilton says. "Our workers loved the old office, and some were a bit reluctant to move to this new space at first, but they're a lot happier now than they thought they would be." The democratization of windows with a raceway around the perimeter and the open-plan environment promotes the bump-in factor, allowing people who previously never saw each other to interact now. "There's a higher level of energy among employees overall," Hamilton adds. There's a palpable buzz in the air of this space, and the organization hopes to use this office as the model of efficiency for future Audubon sites.


who
Project: National Audubon Society Headquarters. Client: National Audubon Society. Architect: FXFOWLE Architects. Contractor/Construction Manager: Citadel Construction. M/E/P Engineer: Flack + Kurtz. Lighting Consultant: Illumination Arts. Sustainability Consultant: YRG Sustainability Consultants. AV/IT/Acoustics: Cerami & Associates, Inc. Photographer: David Sundberg/Esto.

what
Wallcovering: Carnegie. Tackable covering: Forbo. Paint: Benjamin Moore. Gypsum Board: US Gypsum. Tile: Eurostone, Covering Etc., Eco-Gres. Cork Flooring: WE Cork Inc. Rubber wall base: Johnsonite. Rubber Flooring: Eco Surfaces. Raised floor: Tate Access Floors, Inc. Carpet/carpet tile: Bentley Prince Street. Ceiling: Armstrong,
Chicago Metallic. Lighting: Focal Point, Kramer Lighting, Neo-Ray, Mark Lighting,
MP Lighting, IO LEDge, Lightolier, Alkco, Artemide, MP Lighting, Lutron, Watt Stopper. Doors: Galaxy Metal Products. Architectural Glass Doors: JE Berkowitz, LP. Door hardware: FSB USA. Window treatments: Bali Solar Shading. Workstations/workstation seating: Herman Miller. Lounge seating: Brayton. Cafeteria, dining, auditorium, other seating: Imprint. Conference table: Davis Avea, Kusch Delgado, Bernhardt Halo. Other tables:  Custom by Four Square Corners, Inc. Files: Meridian. Millwork Countertops: RichLite Company. Shelving: Meridian. Access flooring: recycled. Plumbing fixtures: Kohler, American Standard, Toto. Sprayed Applied Insulation: International Cellulose Corp.

where
Location: New York, NY. Total floor area: 28,000 sq. ft. No. of floors: 1. Total staff size: 100. Cost/sq. ft.: $178.57.