San Diego County Operations Center

Civic | LEED

Redevelopment of the 38-acre County Operations Center site into a modern, efficient campus with approximately 900,000 SF of office space, built to LEED Gold Certification standards, along with service buildings and parking. Some of the LEED components include placement of photovoltaic panels on parking structures, recycling and reusing materials from demolished buildings, using natural light to reduce energy consumption, using recycled carpeting products, mitigation of storm water runoff, planting water-efficient foliage and installing irrigation to reduce water consumption, using energy-efficient roofing and glazing systems to reduce heat gain and improve interior lighting, and using energy-efficient lighting and mechanical ventilation systems to reduce energy consumption while improving occupancy comfort.

The first phase (October 2010 – $188.5 million) of construction consisted of two 150,000 SF 4-story, steel frame office buildings, a 7-level parking structure (2,000 cars – not designed by BWE), a central plant, utility infrastructure and off-site improvements to reduce traffic impacts. The first phase was completed ahead of schedule and under budget. The two office buildings have been LEED Gold Certified by the USGBC.

The second phase (2012 – $133 million) includes two 150,000 SF of office buildings, a 15,000 SF conference center and a cafeteria.

Structural EngineerBWE
OwnerCounty of San Diego
DeveloperLowe Enterprises
ArchitectRJC Architects
Completion Date2014
Construction Cost$531 Million
AwardsOutstanding Governmental Building of the Year” by the California Center for Sustainable Energy
2011 Energy Champion for New Construction” by San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E)
2014 Honor Award for the San Diego County Registrar of Voters by the American Public Works Association (APWA)
LEED CertificationLEED Gold Certified (2 Office Buildings to date)
LEED Platinum Certified (conference center and cafeteria)