Google Kirkland Campus, Building D
Kirkland, Wash.
Region Northwest
Green Project

Project Team
Owner/Developer SRMKII LLC
General Contractor, Core & Shell SRM Development
General Contractor Foushée & Associates Co. Inc. (TI)
Lead Design Firm DLR Group
Subcontractors/Consultants MacDonald Miller, University Mechanical, Evergreen Power Systems, Arch Ecology, KPFF and DCI Engineers

Google’s need for a campus to match the growth of its engineering teams led to the creation of the five-acre Building D on the tech giant’s Kirkland, Wash., campus. Built on a former brownfield site, the 180,000-sq-ft structure’s design delivers 30% energy savings, compared to traditional facilities. The building is on track for LEED Platinum certification.

Overall facility energy savings was primarily derived from a building envelope that works in conjunction with a central-plant design that features chilled beams, omnipresent LED lighting and solar generation.

Amarpreet Sethi, principal at DLR, says chilled beams were selected because of Google’s desire to exceed ASHRAE 62 requirements and the company’s high-plug loads, which require more cooling. The central plant includes air-cooled chillers, a water-to-water heat pump for heat recovery, a dry cooler for heat rejection and condensing boilers for heating.

“We also have a solar farm on the roof that generates 65 kilowatts a day, or 1,000 lightbulbs for an hour,” says Dave Tomson, development manager for the owner, SRMKII LLC.

Best of the Best Projects 2016