SAN DIEGO - The new corporate office/warehouse facility for Hunter Industries was named "Sustainable Communities Champion" by SDG&E during its recent 2008 Energy Showcase Awards for the design of its highly energy-efficient headquarters facility located in San Marcos, CA. Smith Consulting Architects provided full architectural services for the design build project, located on Melrose Drive in San Marcos, CA. The project is anticipated to achieve either a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver or Gold certification within the next few months.
The new corporate office/warehouse facility for Hunter Industries also was chosen by the California Center for Sustainable Energy as a winner in the Special Achievement by a Medium to Large Business category in the recent 2007 San Diego Excellence in Energy (SANDEE) Awards.
Hunter Industries is one of the world's leading manufacturers of water-efficient landscape irrigation equipment. Recently completed, Hunter Industries' new state-of-the-art facility houses its sales, marketing, customer service and distribution warehouse.
Designed to be 22-percent more energy efficient than Title 24, the building incorporates two rooftop photovoltaic systems, an 80-kilowatt system owned by Hunter Industries, which provides 100 percent of the lighting needs for the building, and a 102-kilowatt system owned by SDG&E that provides locally generated renewable energy for the grid.
The building also utilizes daylight harvesting units to provide its daytime lighting needs. To reduce heat gain, a solar cool bronze insulted glazing system and "greenwave wall" were installed. The "wall" is composed of a metal grid supporting vines that in turn block the sun's heat from the exterior wall.
Estimates predict that Hunter Industries will offset 302-665 lbs/year of carbon dioxide emissions and save $35,600 in annual energy costs.