DPR Construction Headquarters

DPR Construction is a national builder specializing in complex sustainability projects. Their vision was to design San Francisco’s first Net-zero energy office and use it to demonstrate the functionality and benefits of sustainable technologies. DPR’s customers include leading companies whose mission is to change the world by inventing new technologies, making new discoveries and manufacturing new medicines.

It was important for DPR that their new office be a living endorsement of these technologies. By making the new office a living embodiment of DPR’s commitment to innovative building solutions, such as electrochromic glass, the company encourages its customers to embrace these same energy-efficient technologies for themselves. “They can see, touch and feel the technology we are recommending for their projects,” said Ted Van Der Linden, Director of Sustainability at DPR Construction.

DPR faced challenges in controlling light and temperature in their new space, which features a 720 square foot skylight. Not only did they need to reduce the heat entering the building, they also had major glare problems affecting workstations on the building’s second floor. View Smart Windows were the chosen technology to control glare and minimize solar heat gain while still letting in the natural light people prefer.

The building had been using an average of 10,500 kilowatt hours per month, but thanks to View Smart Windows and other innovative technologies, DPR dramatically reduced its energy costs, from about $1,800 a month down to only about $20 per month. “View Smart Windows are one of the critical elements modulating the amount of light entering the space and controlling the heat gain,” says Van Der Linden.