BRIDGEPORT, CT
Antinozzi Associates today announced the completion of the first stage of a $39 million office complex that it designed for one of New England’s leading real estate development and investment companies, Davis Marcus Partners – a project that has now gained national recognition for energy efficient design of its two corporate office buildings.
The office complex is located at 40-64 Danbury Road (Wilton Corporate Center) in Wilton, Connecticut.
“We are delighted to unveil this project, a gem amongst Fairfield County’s corporate sites,” said George Perham, Vice President of Bridgeport-based Antinozzi Associates. “This office campus is a showcase of how to design ‘green.’ Both inside and out, it exemplifies an innovative combination of functionality and extreme energy efficiency — for a finished product with tremendous aesthetics.”
“We are thrilled this 243,000 square foot project will be recognized nationally with a LEED Gold Certification,” Perham added. “Energy efficiency always is a top priority in everything we design. It is gratifying for everyone on our design team to see our approach recognized on a national level.”
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a third party certification program that provides a nationally accepted benchmark for design, construction and operation of high-performance ‘green’ buildings.
“LEED verifies that a building project is environmentally responsible in its design, construction and ultimate operation,” said Perham. “For instance, in the Wilton complex, we used green materials containing recycled content, and instructed building construction practices to recycle construction and demolition waste. Low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints and finishes promote higher air quality. We made a point to insulate above code requirements. We used high performance glass throughout, with a curtain wall system and ribbon windows to bring in more natural light. To reduce the heat island effect we added a reflective white roof and built parking garage structures, reducing the amount of asphalt. All of the bathrooms incorporate hands-free fixtures. Outdoors, we installed bicycle racks to encourage alternative means of transportation, and of course, the site’s wetlands and woodlands were preserved as much as possible in the design.”
The project was a true collaboration between Antinozzi Associates, Davis Marcus Partners, the design consultants (Robert W. Schunk, Environmental Design Associates, Tighe & Bond, McNamara/Salvia, and Woodard & Curran), construction manager John Moriarty & Associates, and LEED consultant Viridian Energy & Environmental. All of the team members agree that the collaboration started at the early outset of the design phase and continued throughout construction completion.
“I believe this project is also the largest recyclable in the country,” Perham said. “With over 97% of all construction waste reused or recycled, we have diverted a tremendous amount of material from ever seeing a landfill.”
In the LEED program scoring system, six major areas are addressed: water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, resources and materials, indoor environmental quality, innovation and design process, and sustainable site. The program began in 1998 and currently encompasses some 14,000 projects in 50 states and 30 countries.
Antinozzi Associates designed the two LEED Gold office buildings at 40 and 60 Danbury Road for Davis Marcus Partners, Inc., who has developed, or owns, nearly 9,000,000 square feet of medical, office, retail, industrial, and residential property stretching from New Hampshire to Texas. The company has offices in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Florida. The entire Wilton Corporate Center complex, when all four phases are complete, will consist of 476,000 square feet of Class A office space and two parking garages housing over 1,000 cars.
“Our first building [40 Danbury Road] was delivered ahead of schedule and we are thrilled with the result,” said David Fiore, Senior Vice President for Davis Marcus Partners. “We have already signed two leases in the building. Louis Dreyfus Corporation, an international agricultural and energy commodities trader, will occupy the entire top floor, taking 57,000 square feet. Tygris Commercial Finance Group, an investment firm, will lease 14,700 square feet beginning in November.”
The project cost of the completed 40 Danbury Road building is approximately $23,000,000. 60 Danbury Road, the sister building consisting of over 80,000 square feet, is nearing completion in December 2008 at a project cost of about $16,000,000.
Original article by Michael J. London