Smith Consulting Architects provided full architectural services for the design build project, located on Melrose Drive in San Marcos, CA. The project is anticipated to achieve either a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver or Gold certification within the next few months.
The new corporate office/warehouse facility for Hunter Industries also was chosen by the California Center for Sustainable Energy as a winner in the Special Achievement by a Medium to Large Business category in the recent 2007 San Diego Excellence in Energy (SANDEE) Awards.
Hunter Industries is one of the world's leading manufacturers of water-efficient landscape irrigation equipment. Recently completed, Hunter Industries' new state-of-the-art facility houses its sales, marketing, customer service and distribution warehouse.
Designed to be 22-percent more energy efficient than Title 24, the building incorporates two rooftop photovoltaic systems, an 80-kilowatt system owned by Hunter Industries, which provides 100 percent of the lighting needs for the building, and a 102-kilowatt system owned by SDG&E that provides locally generated renewable energy for the grid.
The building also utilizes daylight harvesting units to provide its daytime lighting needs. To reduce heat gain, a solar cool bronze insulted glazing system and "greenwave wall" were installed. The "wall" is composed of a metal grid supporting vines that in turn block the sun's heat from the exterior wall.
Estimates predict that Hunter Industries will offset 302-665 lbs/year of carbon dioxide emissions and save $35,600 in annual energy costs.
