The Pier G Operations Building, which is located on the east side of the container terminal, is a 30,000-square-foot, three-story, steel-framed office building designed with the latest in environmental and sustainable features. It functions as an office building and labor deployment center, where the terminal's labor force is assigned to its proper functions at the start of each work shift and supervised throughout the day.
After initially designing the building for a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) silver certification, the project management team decided to pursue a gold certification. For a concise summary of the environmental measures, download the building's case study. In order to achieve the LEED gold rating and thus exceed the minimum Port standard, the building had to meet even higher environmental standards regarding design, construction and operation. This includes advanced power and water conservation measures, natural lighting, recycling and using locally extracted or manufactured building materials, among other things.
In addition to traditional measures, the team employed various innovative sustainability solutions such as a high-performance building envelope, high-efficiency heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and lighting systems, enhanced utilization of daylight and eco-friendly construction material selections throughout. To fulfill the sustainability initiatives set, the construction team executed a Construction Waste Management Plan to divert recyclable materials from the landfill, as well as an Indoor Air Quality Management Plan to minimize indoor air pollution resulting from the construction process.
The measures listed above made gold certification nearly possible, so the team employed additional innovative measures including the development of a website to further awareness and education, the purchase of "Green Power Credits," further reductions of water usage, and the development of "Green Tenant Guidelines" to assist the tenant in properly using the building as a green asset.
The Operations Building at Pier G, an example of the Port's commitment to maximize sustainable practices in its new buildings, is designed and constructed to achieve a LEED gold-level certification under the LEED for New Construction v2.2 2009 Rating System, which maintains the following credit categories:
