Natural Daylight

The building maximizes daylight utilization by incorporating skylights to enhance penetration into deep interior spaces. Large windows with shading structures balance natural light and minimize glare, while balconies integrate slabs with shading elements to optimize daylight and comfort. Glass walls are used for interior partitions, and light-colored materials are selected to ensure well-lit interiors space.

Natural Ventilation

The interior space is optimized based on daylight conditions. Areas along glass walls, where glare is more frequent, are designated as communal spaces, while office areas are positioned in zones with less glare but sufficient daylight. Glare is not always bad. Rather than avoiding glare entirely, it is strategically utilized to enhance the spatial experience in a thoughtful and purposeful way.

Energy

Through a series of upgrade strategies, including shading structures, glazing, lighting, natural ventilation, and optimized heating and cooling set points, the annual EUI is reduced by 39%. However, some heating use remains due to the default building envelope. Upgrading the envelope and increasing insulation could address this, but it would likely lead to increased cooling demand, making it challenging to achieve a balance between the two. 

Maximizing the rooftop solar panel arrangement enables the building to achieve 101.5% net-zero energy potential. Furthermore, the project aims to integrate with the community grid and leverage surrounding industrial resources to establish a broader energy network, reducing reliance on individual buildings.  However, with climate change projected to double cooling demands in LA by 2080, the importance of resilient building design becomes increasingly critical.

HVAC

By comparing different HVAC systems—including All-Air Systems, Variable Air Volume (VAV), Fan Coil Units with Dedicated Outdoor Air System (DOAS), and Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) with DOAS—against the baseline Ideal Air Loads, the VRF with DOAS emerged as the most energy-efficient option, despite its higher cost. Thus, the project selected the VRF with DOAS as its HVAC system to maintain energy performance while ensuring indoor environmental quality.

Local Material

As a major port and industrial hub in the United States, the Port of Long Beach and its surrounding areas offer abundant material resources, particularly recycled and regenerated industrial materials. These materials embody the local industrial culture while being sustainable and well-suited for architectural design. Incorporating local waste materials into the building helps reduce embodied carbon in various construction materials, including steel, concrete, timber, and glass. Shipping containers are repurposed as movable interior offices, adaptable to changing spatial needs and functional requirements.