Awards to be Presented at the 20th Annual USGBC California’s
Green Gala on Dec. 11th in Hollywood
OC Sanitation, L’Oréal, SBCCD, EJ Center at Puente Hills Landfill Park, Contra Costa County Admin Building, Rising Sun and Green Sports Alliance to be Awarded, Among Others
LOS ANGELES (December 2, 2024) – On December 11th at the 20th Annual Green Gala, the USGBC California (USGBC-CA) community – for the first time representing the entire state – will honor movers and shakers from across the state’s green building industry during the 14th Annual California Green Building Awards and Community Awards. The Orange County Sanitation District Headquarters, designed by HDR, has been selected as Project of the Year, with a deeply sustainable and cost-effective design that exceeds EPA standards, offers Fountain Valley’s first pedestrian bridge transporting hot water, generating 60% of new Headquarters’ power, and provides a strong civic space.
Twenty additional exceptional individual projects are being awarded, from entertainment, tech, cultural and educational institutions to hospitality, county buildings and parks. USGBC-CA is also proud to recognize Community Leaders, people or organizations that reflect the spirit of community, including Rising Sun, Bottom Line Utility Solutions, Green Sports Alliance and NBCUniversal (full list below).
“This has been a remarkable year where we brought together leaders of our industry, unifying green building communities across California to accelerate the scope and scale of our work in response to the climate crisis,” states USGBC-CA Executive Director Ben Stapleton. “Our California Green Building Awards now represent the leading buildings across this beautiful and diverse state, raising the bar for what is possible for our built environment to better support the communities they serve, not just here, but everywhere.”
The California Green Building Awards (formerly known as the Sustainable Innovation Awards) affirm a project team’s commitment and leadership in creating a sustainable built environment for all. The awards are merit-based, for built and designed (unbuilt) projects, that go above and beyond in demonstrating innovation, sustainable strategies, and exemplary performance in the fields of sustainability, occupant health and community engagement. These awards are open to California projects, and while a certification (or pending) under any sustainability rating system is preferred, it is not required.
CA GREEN BUILDING AWARDS — Project Teams at the end:
Project of the Year
Orange County Sanitation District Headquarters (Fountain Valley) – complete information below
Energy / Operational Carbon
Honor – Orange County Sanitation District Headquarters (Fountain Valley)
Merit – BUCK Los Angeles (Los Angeles)
Merit – Crafton Hills College Performing Arts (Crafton Hills)
Merit – Edwards Lifesciences Campus Expansion (Irvine)
Merit – Malibu High School (Malibu)
Merit – San Bernardino Valley College, Technical Education Project (San Bernardino)
Merit – NBCUniversal THE COMMONS (Burbank)
Merit – May Lee State Office Complex (Sacramento)
Environmental Justice
Honor – The Environmental Justice Center at Puente Hills Landfill Park (Puente Hills)
Honor – Westlands Solar Park (San Joaquin Valley)
Merit – The Village SF Wellness Center (San Francisco)
Health + Well Being
Honor – L’Oréal’s El Segundo Office (El Segundo)
Honor – Google – Gradient Canopy (Mountain View)
Merit – My Angel Apartments (North Hills, Los Angeles)
Merit – SFO Alaska Airlines T1 Lounge (San Francisco)
Merit – The Burbank Studios / Warner Bros. Discovery Second Century (Burbank)
Water
Honor – San Bernardino Valley College Career Pathways 2 (San Bernardino)
Merit – Waldorf Astoria (Beverly Hills)
Zero Waste and Circular Solutions
Honor – Contra Costa County Administration Building B (Martinez)
Merit – Environmental Nature Center (Newport Beach)
Merit – Gateway to Chinatown (San Francisco)
[For an ONLINE TOUR of all the California Green Building Awards recipients, visit the USGBC-CA EcoMapCA. HONORS awardees currently posted; MERITS will be up by Dec. 11 latest. High resolution images of all projects available upon request.]
Orange County Sanitation District Headquarters (Courtesy of HDR)
The annual Project of the Year embodies not only premier green building practices but reflects the complete spirit of the CA Green Building Awards. The new Orange County Sanitation District Headquarters builds on the District’s long commitment to sustainable wastewater treatment that exceed EPA standards. For decades they have been collecting on-site biogas and running it through a central cogeneration plant to generate electricity, hot water, and steam, which reduced CO2 emissions by 95%. Their new Headquarters continues this commitment to high-performance, cost-effective design that achieves Net Zero Energy with an innovative strategy to capturing excess hot water from the plant and bringing it across Fountain Valley’s first pedestrian bridge to provide 60% of new Headquarters’ power. Prior, they had over 3000 visitors per year, and with their new Headquarters and deep commitment to serving their community, they aim to attract even more visitors with a community board room and interactive exhibits to educate the community about wastewater treatment, public health, and sustainability.
