"(Jacksonville, Fla.; May 4, 2010) – Crowley Maritime Corporation Chairman, President and CEO Tom Crowley, elected area officials and business leaders gathered at the company's corporate headquarters in Jacksonville today to commemorate the completion of Crowley's office building renovation project and its United States Green Building Council LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver Award Designation.
The Crowley building is only the second building in Jacksonville to attain the LEED Silver award for commercial interiors.
With a total renovation and construction budget of $8.5 million, Crowley's goal was to convert the five-story, 110,000 square-foot office building into an open office environment that would promote environmental sustainability, enhance teamwork and collaboration and reflect the company's brand and culture.
The interior design features cubicle work stations for all employees, including senior executives, and fully enclosed conference rooms and private enclaves throughout. This open environment approach allows natural day lighting and views for the majority of workstations. In order to maintain business operation, construction was handled in five phases, one for each floor.
"We are extremely proud of our headquarters here in Jacksonville," Crowley said. "In addition to the obvious benefits of having a green building, we're very pleased to see our employees adapt to the open, collaborative work environment. It has promoted greater teamwork across business units, which results in more comprehensive solutions for our customers."
To help with energy conservation, all existing T8 fluorescent light fixtures were replaced with energy efficient T5 fluorescent light fixtures. This single update equates to a 55 percent reduction in lighting energy consumption.
Additionally, Crowley achieved a 96 percent waste diversion from the landfill, by recycling materials like metal, glass, cardboard and carpet during demolition phases and by donating almost all the company's used furniture to local schools, charities and businesses. Other LEED components included adding bicycle racks, convenient parking spaces for carpools, low flow water fixtures, Energy Star appliances, low-emitting furnishings, HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning) upgrades and the utilization of various sustainable materials. Motion activated faucets and waterless urinals were also incorporated to reduce water usage. Combined, these building characteristics reduce operational, maintenance and energy costs.
This recognition and award reinforces Crowley's commitment to promote responsible environmental stewardship. It also serves as a shining example that office renovations can have style and functionality while being mindful of the environment. Incorporating nautically inspired forms, textures and materials in the architecture and interior design honored the company's nautical roots. Archived photographs, models and corporate displays were also strategically placed throughout Crowley headquarters.
Jacksonville-based Reynolds, Smith and Hills, Inc. (RS&H) designed and managed the project and helped Crowley navigate the LEED process. And the Angelo Group, another Jacksonville-based general contracting firm, managed the construction process and provided construction services.
Built in the early 1980's, Crowley's existing office building was originally developed with traditional private offices, exterior windows and internal work areas. The project's final design eliminated all private offices and incorporated an open, office environment and workstations for all employees.
The LEED green building third-party certification program is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. The program encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through a suite of rating systems that recognize projects that implement strategies for better environmental, health performance and sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality."
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