Texas real estate developer Hines has earned the gold for environmentally friendly and sustainable building design with the completion of its University Towne Center office tower earlier this month.
La Jolla Commons, a 13-story, 300,000-square-foot class A structure, was not only the first high-rise construction in UTC in more than 15 years, it’s the region’s first commercial building to earn LEED gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, the second-highest designation for green design.
La Jolla Commons, located on La Jolla Village Drive near Interstate 805, is also the first project in San Diego to receive “Energy Star” status from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Program for commercial buildings.
Hines is one of the largest green builders in the United States, with 75 projects certified, pre-certified or in the application process with the council, and more than 125 Energy Star-labeled buildings.
Paul Twardowski, Hines’ San Diego vice president, said with an increased focus on climate change and work force wellness, his firm saw an increased demand for Class A space that reflects the new social and environmental values.
Twardowski said La Jolla Commons will serve as the region’s premier green office building for firms with a sustainable business culture.
The building’s exterior is made of energy-efficient glass that exposes 90 percent of each office floor to natural light. Construction waste was sorted and recycled where possible.
In addition, a dual water pipe system reduces use of fresh water by 87 percent and the building was constructed with 34 percent recycled materials.
La Jolla Commons is owned by Hines and TIAA-CREF, the financial services giant.
The San Diego office of Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. served as the general contractor. San Diego-based Spurlock Poirier Landscape Architects was the project landscape architect.
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Developer Relocates:
Capstone Advisors Inc., a local real estate developer, relocated its corporate headquarters from Carmel Valley to Carlsbad.
Capstone will occupy 9,500-square-feet in a 14,200-square-foot building on Faraday Avenue.
The building was purchased for $3.3 million from an affiliate of local homebuilder Ashbrook Communities.
The remaining 4,700 square feet is under a long-term lease to Los Angeles-based Wasserman Media Group.
Capstone is in the process of obtaining LEED certification for the building.
The interior design was by McCulley Design of San Diego and tenant improvement construction by San Diego-based TSA Contracting.
Send real estate news to Michelle Mowad at mmowad@sdbj.com. She may also be reached at 858-277-6359, ext. 3109.
