When Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) decided to move its national office, the association wanted its new commercial interior fit-out to contribute to employee well-being and to create an environment that was socially sustainable. 

“Our project approach revolved around fundamental principles rather than certification ideals.” 

Mike Bellaman, president and CEO of ABC, says generating a team atmosphere was paramount. “We were looking to get rid of traditional office space and put everyone more on a level playing field. We wanted to create an open space that was highly collaborative–one that inspired cooperation and conversation,” he recalls. “Our project approach revolved around fundamental principles rather than certification ideals.” 

ABC leased 19,380 square feet of office and support spaces on the second and third floors of a building stripped down to its frame. Eric Regelin, president of Granix LLC, ABC’s project construction advisor, says the base building suited their objectives. “It was rehabilitated using highly sustainable measures, so we were able to continue that momentum through our design and execution.” 

 As a Washington, D.C.-based association with 70 chapters nationwide, ABC wanted its offices to align with the industry’s environmentally responsible ethos. When ABC decided to seek marketplace recognition, its national green building committee steered it to Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors (SI), which focuses exclusively on the design and construction of interior spaces. 

In addition, Bellaman says the “neighborhood concept” design allowed ABC to reduce its office footprint by 20 percent, which made the organization more economically sustainable. 

Sustainability Features

• Exposed materials reduces raw material extraction, production for finishes, and landfill waste 
• Daylight for more than 95 percent of occupants, leveraged by a floor-to-ceiling curtain wall and open-plan layout 
• Motion detectors on lighting systems 
• Employee access to public transit 
• Low VOC-specified materials and products and implementation of a green cleaning program 
• Many project elements constructed for disassembly to facilitate reuse and recycling

The Whole Picture
According to Regelin, the Green Globes Assessor clearly understood a wide range of environmental design measures as well as the Green Globes process. “As the first project to go through the Green Globes SI process, things were new for everyone involved but the assessor couldn’t have been more helpful. He made relevant adjustments and guided us on areas of our submittal where we weren’t clear. The process was geared to help us succeed,” Regelin says.

From a value perspective, Bellaman asserts the investment was very appropriate. “Green Globes recognizes the whole picture of sustainable measures in a much better way. We didn’t have to go back and re-create things that we were already doing right or alter anything just to get points,” he says. 

Now, ABC’s offices bring light and life into the space to promote openness, awareness, and collaboration. “Our design was already very sustainably focused with a space that facilitates wellbeing and a high level of productivity,” Bellaman says. “Green Globes SI was fair and simple and validated our efforts by recognizing the things we did well. I’d definitely recommend this process to others.”