1808 Partners LP in partnership with anchor tenant and hospitality provider Good Coworking, has achieved LEED Gold certification for their dynamic, creative coworking, office and loft building on the East side of the Cedars neighborhood, a rapidly growing creative community just South of Downtown and Deep Ellum. This project is the first coworking space in DFW to obtain LEED Gold certification, and the first coworking space in the world focused on inclusive sustainability and wellness, powered by solar.
The LEED journey started in the design and construction phase, where building owners, Good Coworking, and the Architect, Gary Gene Olp, LEED Fellow FAIA of GGO Architects, collaborated with the new owners on a plan for the adaptive reuse of the 66,000 square foot 1950s warehouse building.
When coworking members and guests arrive at the space, it just feels different than other workspaces, from the welcoming, good energy of the people, to the green building features that give it a warm, energizing feel. People are choosing Good Coworking as their workspace because of the sustainability and wellness features, as they know that they are working at a space that cares about the community’s social and environmental impact. The business has attracted entrepreneurs and nonprofits from all over DFW, and they continue to amplify their impact through events and partnerships.
The abandoned building, discovered by Good Coworking Co-Founders, was a brick masonry and reinforced tilt-wall concrete structure, it was dilapidated, but not beyond restoration.The design team recognized the potential of the building. Good Coworking pushed the design team at every turn to maximize the health and productivity of their member community and to realize the most significant reduction in environmental impact possible.
The location of the two story warehouse building was once a thriving neighborhood and business community in the 1950s. The neighborhood fell into decline during the 60’s when the major expressways carved up the neighborhood and drove out the original owners and businesses, and then became home to manufacturing plants and wholesale produce facilities.
The heavy masonry construction was the foundation to realizing the building’s incredible energy efficiency. Studies have shown that even a new building can’t achieve the level of sustainability that the adaptive reuse of an existing building can. The roof was reconstructed utilizing optimized insulation and a white TPO roof membrane, which has a high Solar Reflectance Index (SRI). This roof reflects the sun, which reduces heat gain, keeping the building naturally cooler. Points are awarded in LEED for mitigating urban heat island effect.
Cutting edge technology was designed for the mechanical systems, providing exceptional thermal comfort and increased ventilation at minimal cost. The indoor air quality of the space exceeds by far that found in most of the commercial buildings in Downtown Dallas, and allows for a healthier and more productive work environment.
The building also features 454 PV solar panels providing 149.8 Kilowatts of power, offsetting 46% of the energy demand compared to conventional commercial office space. Good Coworking and 1808 received the solar array through a grant from local NGO Downwinders at Risk’s Sue Pope Fund, to offset air pollution, and benefitted further from a partnership with Sunfinity Renewable Energy to maximize the array and energy rebate.
Good Coworking Co-Founder Amy King is a former employee of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) national organization, whose mission is to transform how buildings are designed, constructed & operated through LEED. USGBC’s vision is that buildings & communities will sustain the health of all life. Amy had learned about coworking as a concept when she was working at USGBC in D.C. and this is when she developed the vision for a coworking community aligned around social and environmental impact, using the LEED framework to ensure environmental rigor for the project.
“In the sense that coworking is a shared workspace, it is inherently a more eco-friendly choice than a business leasing their own building, because it leverages the sharing economy. Good Coworking has served as a sort of living lab for ESG, where we have leaned into the frameworks of LEED, WELL and Certified B Corp, to incubate environmental and social responsibility into every business that works in the space. Our membership is diverse, being 40% African American and 65% female and we come together to get good work done. Part of our imperative is to ensure that anyone who wants to be an entrepreneur has access to this healthy, energizing workspace.” -Amy King – Good Coworking Co-Founder
“Rarely are buildings built like this today. The most sustainable buildings are those that are already built. Not only did I design the project, but I chose to relocate our firm’s office to this location because of its adjacency to downtown in this dynamic redevelopment area and the raw industrial chic of our design. ” -Gary Gene Olp, FAIA, LEED Fellow
“The first time I walked through the property it was in extreme disrepair and was almost slated for demolition. The building had great bones and I could feel the potential to make it a destination for shared workspaces and a resource to support the business community of South Dallas.Amy and Gary’s vision was crucial to the success and community that has flourished there since day one.” -Steve Kinder, Building Co-Owner + Good Coworking Co-Founder
About Good Coworking
Local and woman-owned, Good Coworking was co-founded by conscious company and brand strategist Amy King and co-founder and building co-owner, Steven Kinder – industrial designer, serial entrepreneur, and Loftwall Founder. Its mission is to model and grow a responsible business culture that has a net positive impact in the world.
Good Coworking is the first solar-powered coworking space in the world that is focused on inclusive sustainability and wellness. It opened in early 2018 and has over 200 active members in its vibrant community. Good Coworking is dedicated to serving the growing needs of active entrepreneurs, freelancers, creatives, and small business owners, who need everything from 24/7 office and meeting space, to a part-time place to connect with and learn from others or get focused work done.
The workspace is a welcoming space for women, minority-owned businesses, and freelancers through partnerships, programming, mentoring opportunities, and a hub for educating and inspiring people to embrace sustainable and ethical practices as they incubate their business.
A green courtyard provides a central reprieve, and glass whiteboards around every corner create hubs to begin catalyzing potential ideas into tangible change. The coworking space spans roughly half of the 60,000 sq ft building, offering over two dozen offices and workspaces, ample conference space, and naturally-lit community environments.
About GGO Architects
GGOArchitects (www.ggoarchitects.com) is an innovative, environmentally focused studio. The practice was founded to effect a fundamental change in the application of the craft of architecture based on an understanding of environmental stewardship. The efforts of the award-winning studio reflect an enterprising approach to energy efficiency, passive solar techniques, natural day lighting and enhanced fresh air systems with an emphasis on reducing construction waste and the use of natural, non-toxic building materials.
For More Information on Good Coworking or their partner organizations, contact Amy King amy@goodcoworking.co #214.289.6069 or visit goodcoworking.co.
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