Flex Your Power Case Study: Natural Resources Defense Council

When it was time for the Natural Resources Defense Council to relocate its Southern California office, staff decided to invest in a real-life demonstration of sustainable design. Lead architect Elizabeth Moule, Moule & Polyzoides Architects and Urbanists, choose to renovate a 1917 building in Santa Monica, locating the office in a densely populated urban center that is easy to reach by walking, biking, or riding public transit. Named after the actor and environmentalist Robert Redford, the NRDC Southern California Headquarters features numerous innovations in energy and water use efficiency. For example, the design capitalizes on ocean breezes for cooling and ventilation and makes extensive use of natural light. To lower indoor temperatures and reduce urban heat island effect, the rooftop is coated with a liquid rubber polymeric membrane, also referred to as a "cool roof." The cool roof has a 95 percent emissitivity rating, meaning that almost all solar radiation is reflected. NRDC's achievements in energy efficiency are only outmatched by their innovations in water use efficiency. Rainwater is collected in two 1000-gallon cisterns. One is used for watering garden plants around the ground level as well as on rooftop terraces. The other cistern is used, along with a separate graywater collection system, for flushing toilets.

The goal of the Natural Resources Defense Council's Robert Redford Building is to provide an example of sustainable and efficient design.

By reducing the artificial lighting system and air conditioning system, NRDC has been able to lower utility costs by about 44 percent over comparable buildings built to meet California's strict Title 24 energy standards. This has helped NRDC meet is goals for net-zero carbon dioxide emissions and 100 percent renewable energy. A 7.5 kW photovoltaic system on the rooftop provides 20 percent of the building's energy need; the rest is purchased through renewable energy credits for wind generation. Water efficiency measures reduce consumption of potable water by 60 percent.