The U.S. Green Building Council-Los Angeles Chapter held its 22nd My Green Building Conference and Expo on May 18 at The Beehive, an area organization that provides training for local community members, that attracted more than 1,100 registrants comprising architects, engineers, developers, contractors, manufacturers, and public agencies. The conference welcomed 90 exhibitors, 80 community groups, art exhibits funded by microgrants, and a performance by musician, entrepreneur, and global sustainability advocate AY Young.
Twelve workshops and sessions covering housing, EV infrastructure, equitable decarbonization, and nature-based solutions, and seven keynotes were sprinkled throughout the day’s agenda. The speakers included CEO of SoLa Impact, Martin Muoto; Cynthia McClain-Hill, USGBC-LA board president; and Liane Randolph, chair of the California Air Resources Board; Lee Herrick, the State of California Poet Laureate; Kirsty Jenkinson, investment director for the Sustainable Investment and Stewardship at the California State Teachers' Retirement System; and Rhiannon Jacobsen, USGBC’s managing director of U.S. market transformation and development.
USGBC-LA also used the conference to introduce its 2023 Net Zero Accelerator cohort, a group of innovators aiming to drive rapid and measurable adoption of net-zero solutions, and to host a corporate sustainability panel with representatives from Google, NBCUniversal, Paramount Pictures, and The MBS Group, moderated by USGBC-LA board president Melissa Gutierrez-Sullivan of CIM Group.
Fourteen Civic, Products, and Green Building Projects awards were given at the event that honored civic officials for their policy work, innovative energy-efficient products, and sustainable building projects. This portion of the event was kicked off by conference co-chairs USGBC-LA vice chair Christine Marez of Cumming Group, an international project management and cost consulting firm, and board member Jessie Buckmaster of Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company. Mary Nichols, distinguished counsel for the Los Angeles-based Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, closed the ceremony with inspiring words and a reminder of how far the industry has advanced in the last 15 years.
“Our annual green building conference really felt like it delivered this year on providing a different, more engaging experience with innovative content, from speakers to art, making the connections between people, buildings, and environmental justice,” Ben Stapleton, USGBC-LA executive director, said in a press release about the event. “It was an honor to hear from both the current chair of the California Air Resources Board as well as from the past chair-in-luminary Mary Nichols [...] This year we broke the mold for what this conference can be and we will only be moving forward from here.”
A list of awards and descriptions taken from a press release follows below.
The 2023 U.S. Green Building Council-Los Angeles Chapter Awards
Civic Awards
California Air Resources Board received the Policy Leadership Award. In September of 2022, CARB voted to ban the sale of gas furnaces and water heaters by 2030, driving the approach that new equipment and retrofits must be zero-emissions alternatives, like electric heat pumps.
Ben J. Benoit, Outgoing Chair of South Coast AQMD, as well as Riverside County Auditor-Controller, was presented the Elected Official of the Year Award. He was recognized for his 10 very successful years of championing clean air and energy efforts throughout the region (February 2013 - February 2023).
Product Awards
The Energizing Efficiency Award, to honor the product or service helping us best address reducing operational carbon, went to Channing Street Copper Company’s ‘Charlie’, an energy storage equipped (ESE) induction range coming to market this year. It offers an easy replacement for a gas range, as it can run using the standard 120v outlet that is already behind the stove. It also offers resiliency in case of a power outage, with the ability to load shift and use clean renewable energy.
The Mighty Materials Award was created to honor the material helping us best reduce embodied carbon in buildings. ByFusion was honored for developing an industrial machine that transforms 100% of non-recyclable plastic waste into an advanced new building material, without additives or fillers, called ByBlocks.
Green Building Awards
Project: CSULB - Admin + Commons
Project Owner: California State University, Long Beach (CSULB)
About: As a project that is LEED Platinum®, the Administration Building and Commons at CSULB is setting the tone for the future of the campus. The building is poised to achieve certification under the Institute for Living Future’s Living Building Challenge because of the integration of sustainable design strategies such as; reclaimed water, solar panels, natural light and ventilation, chemical-free construction materials, and other regenerative and net positive energy principles.
Project: CSULB - Parkside North Residence Housing
Project Owner: California State University, Long Beach (CSULB)
About: The Parkside North and Hillside Gateway residential structures, also LEED Platinum®, will be the first buildings in the California State University system to carry certifications under the International Living Future Institute’s Living Building Challenge Program. The building will save one million gallons of water yearly and is net zero energy, featuring reclaimed water and a solar rooftop terrace that aims to reach CSU’s 2030 carbon neutrality goal.
Project: Rancho Los Amigos - RCC
Project Owner: Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center
About: The Rancho Los Amigos Rehabilitation Center has developed an inclusive health center with a beautifully landscaped plaza that invites the neighborhood in. Earning LEED Gold® status, the center incorporates sustainable materials in its built environment, such as bamboo flooring and recycled-content carpeting. It also has a green roof, which helps to insulate the building and reduce the urban heat island effect
Project: Jet Propulsion Laboratory Building 180
Project Owner: JPL Facilities
About: Through practices such as retro-commissioning, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Building has achieved LEED Gold®. Building 180 has cut its energy use in half over the last five years. Additional upgrades that helped the building reach its LEED goals included installing drought-tolerant landscaping, waste audits that helped divert 44% of waste from landfills, and providing alternative transportation and hybrid working options.
Project: 201 N. Figueroa and 221 N. Figueroa - Recertification
Project Owner: City of Los Angeles
About: This 300,000-square-foot pair of buildings, adjoined by a courtyard, was originally certified LEED Gold in 2016. The buildings were recertified in 2022, earning LEED Platinum® status, a difficult feat on recertification to an updated LEED standard. The pair of buildings have achieved Energy Star certification and a perfect 100/100 transit score. These buildings are home to numerous LA City departments including the Planning Department, Building and Safety, and Parks and Recreation.
Project: SP7 Building 1
Project Owner: Skid Row Housing Trust
About: Described as having a "sleek, contemporary look with several shared roof decks and courtyards," the SP7 Building 1 is a LEED Platinum permanent supportive housing complex. The 100% affordable, two-building complex includes a community room, recreation spaces, and on-site supportive services, and offers 99 total units for formerly unhoused persons - including veterans. The project features two community garden locations, low-water landscaping, water-efficient plumbing fixtures, solar thermal heating and photovoltaic panels, and a central stairway to promote social interaction, an active lifestyle, and reduce energy use from the elevator. The goal is to provide a safe home where residents can thrive.
Project: Santos Manuel Student Union
Project Owner: California State University, San Bernardino
About: By earning LEED Gold certification, The Santos Manuel Student Union - North is the fifth building on the California State University, San Bernardino's campus to be LEED-certified. The team focused on the use of high-performance insulated glass, and efficient mechanical systems to reduce energy. Climate-appropriate landscape and water-efficient irrigation systems were utilized to reduce the use of site-related water, in addition to measures to minimize stormwater runoff and allow stormwater to percolate into the natural soil to help it reach its certification goals.
Project: Santa Monica Early Childhood Lab School
Project Owner: Santa Monica College for the Santa Monica Early Childhood Lab School
About: A unique partnership between SMC, the City of Santa Monica, and nonprofit operator, Growing Place, the Santa Monica Early Childhood Lab School achieved LEED Platinum®, led by the building's strong community focus. The building received high marks in innovation in design, energy, and atmosphere, resulting in a 44% improvement in the baseline building performance rating. It is also part of the City’s Cradle to Career initiative and its strategic goal to invest in projects that help everyone in the community Learn + Thrive.
Project: CSUDH Center for Science + Innovation
Project Owner: California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH)
About: Focused on minimizing the impact on current students and staff, the CSUDH - Center for Science + Innovation achieved LEED Gold®. The building design – which features provisions for smart controls for lighting and natural ventilation in non-lab spaces, as well as advanced energy metering, recycled and regional materials, and water-efficient landscaping – leads the way for a strong LEED score. The façade features alternating blue and gray colored panels meant to convey a decoded DNA strand, while bamboo wood and metal panels line the interior, earning the building high scores in innovation in design.
Project: Sixth Street Viaduct Seismic Improvement Project
Project Owner: City of Los Angeles
About: The Sixth Street Viaduct, the largest bridge project in the history of Los Angeles, has earned an Envision Platinum award for sustainability, specifically for addressing community needs, adding significant public space and amenities, and improving community safety and resiliency. The new viaduct includes many character-enhancing architectural features, improves and encourages community access and mobility, and provides a range of public amenities, including widened sidewalks on each side of the viaduct and protected bike lanes, and five sets of stairs connecting the viaduct to ground-level park and recreation facilities.
