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Principal Global Investors’ new headquarters in New York is a healthy, productive environment that also reflects the firm’s strength and dynamic approach to the ever-changing financial landscape.
Principal Global Investors (PGI), who provide asset management primarily for retirement plans, wanted its new headquarters in New York to be a healthy, productive environment for its employees that also reflected the firm's strength and dynamic approach to the ever-changing landscape of the financial world. Using innovative sustainable design practices, M Moser Associates created an efficient workplace that not only embodied PGI's culture and supported its business goals, but also expects to achieve LEED certification(*)(**) in 2009.
An airy, open floor plan with few individual offices gives the space a sense of balance, lightness and modernism. The central corridor is lined with a series of wood elements that echo the office's L-shaped floor plate and provide a subtle visual guide toward the main conference room area.
Sustainable elements are integrated throughout the space. Sensors monitor the amount of natural light available and automatically adjust the internal lighting accordingly. This not only optimises available light for employees but also reduces energy consumption by 15%. The office features low-flow fixtures to reduce water usage by 40%. In addition, the state-of-the-art HVAC system is highly efficient and programmable, resulting in another 15% reduction in energy usage. Recycled materials are used whenever possible and all new materials used are low-emitting, providing the healthiest possible setting for employees.
(*) UPDATE: The project has been LEED Certified as of June 2009
(**) The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating SystemTM is a third-party certification program developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. It is an internationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.
