Dole’s California headquarters awarded LEED Gold Certification

Dole Packaged Foods’s North American headquarters in Westlake Village, California, was awarded LEED Gold Certification. The recently constructed Westlake Park Place Building C is a 105,000 square-foot, four-story core and shell office building that incorporates a wide range of what the company says are aggressive energy efficiency measures as well as a 577 kilowatt solar panel array which provides almost 75 percent of the building's electricity needs. The building was developed by the Searles Property Group, Irvine,
California, in partnership with the Denver-based real estate investment fund manager Amstar.

The building has extensive specifications for nonharmful interior finishes and significant use of building materials with recycled content. The construction team was able to recycle 95.6 percent of the total construction debris which amounted to 383 tons of recycled diversion. The building is extremely water efficient with low water use plumbing fixtures that reduce water usage and domestic waste sewer demand, the company says. The Dole headquarters is one of a select few buildings in the Conejo Valley to be awarded LEED Gold Certification.

Brad Bartlett, president of Dole Packaged Foods North America/Europe stated, "We are thrilled to be in a building that has been awarded this prestigious honor. Dole Packaged Foods has a commitment around the world of being socially responsible and to be at the forefront of sustainability in the environment. This goes hand-in hand with providing healthy and nutritious Dole products to help people live long and healthy lives."

Thousand Oaks, California, Mayor Al Adam says, "I am extremely proud of Dole Packaged Foods' well deserved achievement of LEED Gold Certification. Dole Packaged Foods continues to be a leader in environmental stewardship and the new building is a model of sustainability for other companies in the area to follow. Green buildings like theirs are key to driving our community and local economy toward a more sustainable future."

Westlake Park Place Building was designed by Behr Browers Architects and constructed by Fullmer Construction.