Alameda County Waste Management Authority Headquarters Rates LEED® Platinum

Together the Alameda County Waste Management Authority and the Alameda County Source Reduction and Recycling Board are StopWaste.org. Since 1976 StopWaste.org has spearheaded source reduction and recycling programs in Alameda County and has influenced similar programs across the nation. When it began planning its new headquarters, a driving goal was a building that would demonstrate this public agency’s mission; thus:
  • 95% of the original building’s structural elements are being reused including exterior walls, roof, floors, concrete columns and steel beams
  • 75% of the construction and demolition debris is recycled rather sent to landfills
  • All new concrete includes 15 to 40 percent fly ash—a recycled waste product from coal-fired power plants. Substituting fly ash for Portland cement makes the concrete more durable and reduces greenhouse gas emissions associated with concrete production
  • Seventy-five percent of the workspaces are day lit and 95 percent have views of the outdoors thanks to a large skylight and big banks of new windows.
  • The electric lighting features high efficiency fluorescent lights with photo sensors that turn off lights when there is adequate daylight and bi-level switching to reduce light levels when full brightness is not needed.
  • Individual workstations have task lights, another energy-saving measure that illuminates work surfaces, allowing overall light levels to be reduced.
This building located in downtown Oakland is the first building in California to earn LEED® Platinum by reusing an existing building.

Design Team:

Architect: Komorous-Towey Architects

Electrical Engineer/ Lighting Designer: IDeAs

Mechanical Engineer: Rumsey Engineers

Awards:

LEED® Platinum