10 HQ buildings leading the way for sustainability

“Green buildings are good for the environment and good for people but also make a lot of business and economic sense,” said Melissa Baker, senior vice president at the US Green Building Council.

“This is why major corporations worldwide have adopted green building certification for their headquarters and beyond. By supporting certified buildings, companies can save money, improve efficiency, lower carbon emissions, and create healthier places for people.”

10 sustainable company HQs

Salesforce Tower, Salesforce

LEED rating: Platinum 89

• America’s largest on-site water recycling system within any commercial high-rise
• Innovative HVAC system that allows employees on every floor to breathe in 100 per cent outdoor air 128 different plant species attached to the columns throughout the floor.

Apple Park Main Building – Apple

LEED rating: Platinum 87

• Runs on 100 per cent renewable energy (14 megawatt rooftop solar installation and 4 megawatts of biogas fuel cells)
• 4,300 hollow concrete slabs, which help the building stay cool
• The site is nourished with 9,000 drought-tolerant trees, and the recycling system helps support the water use of the nearby City of Cupertino.

One Esterra – Microsoft

LEED rating: Platinum 81

• Maximum score for its use of low-emitting materials
• All 13,200 square feet of kitchen and food hall are powered by electricity
• Not a CO2-intensive gas flame in sight, despite serving as many as 10,500 meals daily.

Googleplex and Bay View – Alphabet

LEED rating: Platinum v4

• North America’s most extensive geothermal pile system and net positive in water usage
• A herd of goats is routinely employed onto the site’s green areas to graze and fertilise the grounds
• Its Café 150 sources all of its ingredients within a 150-mile radius.

Wells Fargo’s Headquarters – Wells Fargo

LEED rating: Gold 71

• The office’s sustainable innovation in design and green power scores maximum points
• Innovative optimisation of lighting power and lighting controls
• Second Wells Fargo building to be awarded LEED gold standard.

Adobe Founders Tower – Adobe

LEED rating: Gold 66

• The power is generated entirely by solar and wind energy
• The food hall is the largest all-electric kitchen in North America, which helps contribute to more than 70 per cent of Adobe’s total electricity needs being met by renewable energy
• First all-electric building of such scale to open in Silicon Valley.

Endeavor and Voyager – Nvidia

LEED rating: Gold 64

• Biophilic design and an external trellis that houses 390 KW of solar panels
• Natural light is utilised as the main light source throughout the day, which reduces reliance on electric lighting by an estimated 40 per cent
• Surrounding green areas are filled with drought-tolerant trees and connected to a reclaimed water feed.

Morgan Stanley Building – Morgan Stanley

LEED rating: Gold 60

• Green cleaning programme that includes purchasing of sustainable products and materials, reduction of indoor air particulates and excellent use of daylight and views
• Sustainable electric-powered equipment, sustainable furniture and reduced mercury in lamps
• Integrated pest management and erosion control.

Abbott Park – Abbott

LEED rating: Gold 52

• Energy-efficient technologies, green building practices and eco-friendly landscaping
• High-performing cleaning programme, occupant-controlled lighting and reduced particulates in air distribution
• The purchasing of durable goods, ongoing consumables and solid waste management were all scored favourably in LEED.

The Spheres – Amazon

LEED rating: Gold

• 90-foot “living walls” and green areas incorporate 40,000 plants from 50 countries
• Water irrigation system that is able to circulate water throughout each area of the wall that requires it and reroute any remaining water to a central reservoir
• The choice of construction materials and processes saved more than 400 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.

The full research can be viewed here: proptechos.com/green-headquarters/