OREANDA-NEWS. When LPL Financial, the nation’s largest independent broker/dealer, an RIA custodian and an independent consultant to retirement plans, began envisioning a new zero net energy (ZNE) office building, it set four strategies to drive the project—energy efficiency, health and wellness of employees, connectivity and flexibility. Architects had a vision for a 13-floor, 415,000-square-foot office tower in San Diego, and designers had a desire for an efficient office lighting system that felt comfortable to occupants, allowed for added savings through dimming and daylight harvesting and could easily accommodate the changing needs of a growing business.

“GE rolled up their sleeves and got to work,” said Otto Orr, V.P. of project management, corporate real estate, LPL Financial. “They flew to Charlotte and immediately got engaged with our engineering team—looking at sketches, switching from fluorescent, eliminating fixtures. I’ve never seen a supplier jump in like this. Generally they’re looking for the architect to churn out drawings, and then they’re going to give you a proposal.

“From the start we felt like GE was one of us. They showed us that an LED solution was possible.”

At ease with LED
After investments in fuel cells for a consistent source of clean electricity, as well as an under-floor air-distribution system to reduce heating and cooling loads, LPL needed a similarly energy-conscious lighting strategy to help achieve its net-zero goal.
“We went in assuming we couldn’t afford LED office lighting within the project scope, and were hesitant to trust the technology in an interior space,” said Orr. “We’d seen a lot of advancements with LED in exterior and commercial areas, but we hadn’t come across counterparts doing it in a classic office setting. We pushed hard to explore available options with other manufacturers, before we realized GE was in the indoor fixtures market segment.

“After we sat down with them, we got very comfortable with the technology very quickly.”