Herman Miller's recently completed Los Angeles showroom, an 18,000-square-foot facility, is the first LEED CI (Commercial Interiors) Platinum project in Los Angeles and the 47th worldwide.
A former warehouse built in 1956, the space's potential was intriguing both to Herman Miller and architecture and design firm tvsdesign. The collaboration produced a space that incorporates many environmentally sensitive measures, including its location within an area close to public transportation, local businesses, and restaurants; energy efficient light fixtures and occupancy sensors throughout the space; and MBDC, BIFMA level and GREENGUARD certified products and materials to assure an environmentally responsible interior and superior indoor air quality.
Twenty percent of the building materials and products in the project were manufactured within 500 miles of the site, according to Lori Gee, Herman Miller's Director of Workplace Solutions. A construction waste management plan ensured over 85 percent of all construction waste was recycled and diverted from landfill during construction.
The building's energy performance was a key factor in obtaining the highest level of LEED certification, according to Steve Clem, the showroom's lead architect and interior designer and principal at tvsdesign.
"The showroom utilizes an energy efficient, programmable electrical infrastructure, which includes the latest advancements in power distribution through the company's Energy Manager device and subsidiary Convia's Energy Track Reporting Tool," notes Clem. "These capabilities allowed us to maximize the number of possible points in the Energy and Atmosphere category."
Through Convia technology, applications such as lighting, HVAC and occupancy and daylight harvesting sensors can be consolidated into an easy-to-manage platform. It also provides showroom occupants more control over their environment and their individual work spaces.
The Convia Energy Track Reporting Tool displays the showroom's actual energy usage on a simple and intuitive dashboard interface. Energy monitoring chips built into Convia-enabled control components allow for accurate reporting through the Energy Track tool at a specific zone or circuit level within the space. As a result, the granular and highly accurate data allows the company to optimize the showroom's energy distribution.
The Los Angeles showroom is Herman Miller's first LEED CI Platinum project and it is the company's 14th LEED certified space within the United States and United Kingdom. Its GreenHouse facility, located in Holland, Michigan, is a LEED Pioneer recipient.
The company is a founding member of the U.S. Green Building Council and requires that its new or renovated facilities achieve a minimum of LEED Silver certification.
