One of North America's largest importers of Organic Apples, Kiwifruit, Pears and Blueberries prepares their new Santa Cruz, California downtown headquarters for LEED certification.
"The remodeling began in June with an emphasis on green building," said Elizabeth Posner, Director of Marketing and project manager for the new headquarters. "We did a lot of research to find the best materials, such as DIRTT walls, which are moveable glass walls that can grow with your business, thereby eliminating waste from landfills. DIRTT, which stands for Doing It Right The First Time, are walls designed for reuse and reconfiguration, with integrated power and data that can be modified indefinitely over time, (with little or no impact on the workplace, and zero construction waste). DIRTT is made of recycled denim insulation, environmentally friendly MDF, and non-VOC paint. The focus at DIRTT is on re-use rather than re-cycling, effectively 'future proofing' commercial environments and eliminating waste and disruption caused by conventional construction. “If you need to remodel or move, you just take them with you,” stated Elizabeth. They are currently being used in Silicon Valley by companies like EBay, Google, and LinkedIn who project future growth. Awe Sum Organics is the first to utilize the full DIRTT solution in Santa Cruz County.
"We also incorporated beautiful Breathe Walls made of plants which remove the negative ions and CO2 from the air, providing fresh, rich oxygen for the environment.” Other features include eco-friendly carpet, tile and ceiling tiles with a minimum of 50% post-consumer recycled content, and green, non-toxic paint by YOLO that has no reproductive toxins, mutagens, hazardous air pollutants, ozone depleting compounds, formaldehyde, phthalates, or VOCs.
Awe Sum Organics employees will have the added benefit of working with sustainable Knoll furniture and desks that (with the touch of a button) allow you to sit or stand at your workstation. “I also re-purposed old wooden doors which possibly would have ended up in a landfill, turning them into beautiful new desks for CEO David Posner and myself," said Elizabeth.
The new headquarters consist of a 5200 square foot building originally built in 1969, located in a prime area of downtown Santa Cruz. Once a dark and dated gallery, drywall that covered most of the windows was removed, and skylights were widened to let in more natural light. Top of the line, energy-rated HVAC and LED lighting will illuminate the new office. What was once dark and dated, is now sleek, fresh and inviting.
The move will allow Awe Sum Organics to double the size of their work force, positioning itself for major growth in the near future. Awe Sum Organics plans to move their headquarters from Capitola to the new Santa Cruz location October 6th. Phase two will include a roof top garden and solar panels.
We are excited to immerse ourselves in a state of the art workspace equipped with a gourmet kitchen, ergonomic workstations, clean air, and a high tech conference room. It’s ironic that what was once a gallery to showcase beautiful works of art, has now become a work of art in of itself. Go ahead and say it, that’s Awe Sum!
Source: Awe Sum Organics
