“Gary always talked about showcasing natures’ living energy, and he was committed to the green space around this building,” recalls Ron Harris, vice president of Real Estate & Construction at Young Living Essential Oils. “Gary passed away before our headquarters were complete, and the gardens honor him.”
“[The] Green Building Initiative wanted us to be able to tout what we’ve done, and going through the process has been a win-win situation.”
The headquarters building is a 265,000- square-foot office space with a landscaped center court. Here, two large skylights cascade sunlight into the five-story structure.
“The waterfall and the reflecting pool in center court are the project’s most beautiful features,” notes Florence Hawkinson, who served as project manager for Scholz Architects. “It brings the natural beauty of the outdoors inside and uses only recirculating water.”
Practices that lessen environmental impacts helped the building achieve Two Green Globes certification. According to Harris, “We chose Green Globes certification for its leadership in sustainability. Green Globes [certification] is a significant stamp of appr- oval from a well-known organization with a wide following,” he says.
Many characteristics of the Young Living Global Headquarters support environmental health and human wellness:
- Trees were integrated and preserved during construction.
- The facility utilizes a state-of-the-art water filtration system.
- Setback offices allow daylight to infiltrate interior spaces.
- Controls automatically dim artificial lights when adequate daylight is present.
- Variable speed pumps reduce energy.
- The office’s modular furniture is constructed of recycled materials.
Beneficial Blend
“The Green Globes process made me aware of so many different categories and opportunities for protecting the planet,” Harris says. “We were constantly asking what we could do, and it helped us look at things in a systemic fashion to try and incorporate everything we could afford.”
Although the team didn’t include Green Globes at the project’s outset, Hawkinson believes involving Green Globes from the start would be advantageous.
“On the next project, I would not hesitate to have them there from the very beginning so we can see our options more clearly,” she says. “We didn’t understand GBI’s teamwork philosophy. They made themselves easily available whenever I had a question.”
Harris was also surprised by the spirit of collaboration he encountered. “We legitimately had to qualify for the points, but it was clear Green Building Initiative wanted us to earn the certification that we deserved and earned,” he says. “The process was very positive and upbeat.”
The Green Globes Assessor played an integral part of the certification process. “Our assessor was fabulous – it was like she was part of our team,” says Hawkinson. “She’s actually helped us get more points when she noticed things on the virtual walkthrough that we didn’t mention in our submittal.”
Young Living Global Headquarters now serves management and staff, enriches the community and attracts prospective employees.
“We have quite a presence in the Silicon Slopes and there’s a lot of competition for staff.” Harris explains. “Everyone loves working here, but I get the most positive comments from professionals who just joined the company. Green Building Initiative wanted us to be able to tout what we’ve done, and going through the process has been a win-win situation.”
