Green Facts
When completed, the 23-story 601 City Center will incorporate a number of green design strategies. These strategies were integrated into the building to achieve LEED Certification, and to provide an environmentally sensitive workspace for its tenants and visitors.
The building will be designed to have a reduced impact on the environment while creating healthy, daylight-filled workspaces for the occupants.
The following will be incorporated into the building design.
The selected site of 601 City Center in downtown Oakland meets a number of criteria identified by the LEED rating system as having a low environmental impact:
- Access to Public Transit: 601 City Center is being developed in an urban area and providing easy access to public transportation. 601 City Center is located in the downtown core area of Oakland and access to the BART system is less than 1⁄4 mile away. See commuting options on OaklandCityCenter.com.
- Parking: All of the parking provided on site will be in two underground levels thereby eliminating any need for surface lots. Preferred parking will be provided for vanpools and low-emitting vehicles. Also, the parking will not exceed local zoning requirements. Find parking information on OaklandCityCenter.com.
- Green Roof: A notable feature of 601 City Center is the green roof over its two one-story buildings. These one-story buildings contain the loading dock and a portion of the building lobby. The green roof will help reduce the impact on the environment in a number of ways. During storms, the green roofs will slow down the discharge of storm water into the storm drain system. In addition, the roofs will reduce impurities in the storm water. The green roofs also reduce the urban heat island effect by providing a roof surface that will not absorb and radiate heat. To reduce the impact on water usage, the roofs will contain native and drought tolerant planting.
- Water Efficiency: The building employs a number of strategies to reduce the water usage. In the restrooms, low-flow and ultra low flow fixtures will be used to reduce the water usage by 30% compared to average buildings. In addition, the landscaping will comprise of high-efficiency irrigation and drought tolerant plantings to reduce the use of water.
- Energy and Atmosphere: To reduce the energy usage of the building, a number of cutting edge technologies will be employed. The glazing, a major factor in energy usage, will consist of dual paned, low emissivity, tinted glazing. This glazing employs recent advances in glazing technology. The low-emissivity coating reduces the amount of solar heat gain while allowing a large percentage of daylight in to create light filled interiors. As the solar heat gain is reduced, the demand on the air-conditioning systems is also reduced.
- Building Materials: The structural steel used in the construction of 601 City Center will have greater than 70 percent post-consumer recycled steel.
