Banfield Pet Hospital's new corporate headquarters in Vancouver, Washington, has earned the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification.
Banfield partnered with a number of experts to create innovative, collaborative and pet-friendly concepts that also met its sustainability goals. Key partners included developer Pacific Realty Associates, Portland, Oregon; architecture firms Gensler (interior), San Francisco, and TVA Architects (exterior), Portland, Oregon; MEP engineers and sustainability experts Interface Engineering, Seattle; landscape architect PLACE, Portland, Oregon; general contractor and construction manager Skanska, New York City; and LEED consultants Green Building Services, Portland, Oregon.
"Creating better communities for people and pets is at the heart of what we do," says John Benazzi, commercial vice president and construction colead, Banfield Pet Hospital. "Our new, environmentally responsible facility enables us to better serve the heart of our practice: the associates in our hospitals who provide tremendous care to pets every day."
Located in Vancouver's Columbia Tech Center, the facility officially opened in June 2016 and spans more than 17.5 acres with 206,000 square feet of office and training space. No eco-friendly stone was left unturned—the construction and design teams focused on harnessing renewable energy sources and decreasing power consumption, water usage and carbon dioxide emissions. Building materials, including wood, steel and concrete, were regionally sourced. Throughout construction, 75 percent of waste was recycled, keeping 750 tons out of the landfill. Further, the project team prioritized creating ideal work environments, whether limiting furnishings' emissions, ensuring proper ventilation or providing a connection to the outdoors through windows.
The result is a facility that requires 44 percent less energy than is needed to operate a code-built building thanks to geothermal exchange and features such as solar-water heating and low-demand LED lighting.
Rainwater harvesting of more than 420,000 gallons annually spares potable water from toilet flushing, and regionally adapted plants reduce irrigation water use by 60 percent. As part of its extensive corporate social responsibility efforts, Banfield also donates excess food from the headquarters' bistro to Share Vancouver, a local nonprofit organization that provides shelter, resources and free daily meals to homeless and low-income members of the community.