Silicon Valley Office Building Reaches for LEED Platinum

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — A new office building set to open this spring in Silicon Valley is using innovative building and design strategies to achieve LEED Platinum certification.

Designed by Berkeley, Calif.-based Brick LLP and constructed by Nibbi Brothers, headquartered in San Francisco, 899 West Evelyn will be the new home of Nuance Communications. The 72,000-square-foot building is situated in the downtown area on a former infill site. The building is set to gain maximum transportation points due to its position in the region’s transit hub and proximity to such transportation agencies as CalTrain and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s light rail.

A 13,000-square-foot rooftop garden, which provides occupants with picturesque views of the downtown area and surrounding mountains, consists of many green features. The sustainably constructed rooftop garden contains steel and wood canopy structures, precast concrete pedestal pavers, wood decking, an undulating lawn, outdoor seating areas and a bocce court. Aesthetically pleasing and functional, the garden also contains water-efficient landscaping that serves as the building’s stormwater filtration and includes a solar panel installation to provide the building with hot water.

The four-story building was constructed with regional building materials and features a high-performance glass curtain wall façade with passive ventilation, low-e coating and insulated glazing panels that create a unique exterior. The insulated glass panels also encapsulate a horizontal wood lattice constructed from sustainably harvested wood, adding to the building’s innovative and sustainably focused exterior design. While the panels and wood lattice create a warm atmosphere, they also reduce solar infiltration and heat gain.

The building also features low-VOC products, bike storage rooms with changing areas, three electric vehicle charging stations and a parking lot with only 33 spaces to deter dependency on individual vehicles for transportation.