Project Background
Toyota is working to meet society’s growing transportation needs in ways that won’t harm the Earth. The company applied the same philosophy to its new South Campus Headquarters, which was developed to consolidate several employee divisions into one area, reduce occupancy expenses, and provide future flexibility. The 624,000-square-foot, 40-acre campus also serves as a tangible example of Toyota’s environmental commitment and demonstrates the value of green building to shareholders.
Making a Case for Green Building
To pass muster with Toyota’s shareholders, the LEED design for the building had to demonstrate at least a 10% return on investment. With a focus on long-term operational savings, the building is exceeding that requirement. Energy savings total $400,000 annually, and the extensive solar rooftop system is expected to pay back within 7 years. The campus also saves $12,000 per year via reduced water usage, and diverting more than 95% of construction waste from landfills saved $35,000. Equally important, the environmental features came without a cost premium: at $63 per square foot, the building shell is in the lower half of the $54 to $76 range for a campus, and interior costs were also in the low range.
To fund some of the innovative technologies, the project team tapped into incentive programs such as the Southern California Edison’s Savings By Design program and the California Public Utilities Commission Self-Generation Incentive program, which paid 50% of the installed cost of the solar panel system. Other financial savings come from using recycled water, which is 30% less expensive than potable water, and using solar electricity to offset peak rates.
Project Goals and Results
The Real Estate and Facilities Department of the sales organization created Process Green to demonstrate environmental leadership while still meeting business needs. “Every decision along the way had to make good business sense and fall within the budget guidelines,” explains Robert Pitts, Toyota group vice president for administrative services. “We wanted to show that building an environmentally sensitive office complex does not have to be limited to small or unique projects—or ones with inflated budgets.”
By opting for a less expensive concrete tilt-up structure, the team could invest in green building strategies with a higher return on investment, such as thermally insulated, double-paned windows, highly efficient insulation, and a highly reflective “cool” roof. Combined with very efficient air-handling units and gas fired chillers in the HVAC system, these strategies make the campus 58.6% more efficient than California’s stringent Title 24 Energy Code.
The complex saves 11 million gallons of potable water per year by using recycled water for cooling, landscaping irrigation, and restroom flushing, among other strategies. To reduce materials use, concrete tilt-up panel waste and crushed temporary concrete casting slabs were used for paving.
About Toyota Motor Sales
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. (TMS) Inc. is the sales, marketing, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus, and Scion in the United States, marketing products and services through a network of 1,408 Toyota and Lexus dealers in 49 states. Toyota is the third-largest vehicle manufacturer in the world and the fourth-largest automaker in the United States.
About LEED®
The LEED® Green Building Rating System™ is the national benchmark for the design, construction, and operations of high-performance green buildings. Visit the U.S. Green Building Council’s Web site at www.usgbc.org to learn more about how you can make LEED work for you.
