Long Beach’s green administration complex

Construction started December 29 at the Port of Long Beach on a $55 million “green” project to erect a new administration and operations complex at the International Transportation Service Inc. (ITS) terminal as part of the Pier G Redevelopment Program. The two main buildings, which will house administration and operations, will adhere to the Silver level of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. About 76,000 square feet of building space and substantial parking space for employees and trucks is being constructed on an 8-acre area. The contract to construct the energy efficient, environmentally friendly project was awarded to FTR International Inc. of Irvine. The project is expected to generate 220 to 240 construction jobs a year during each of the three years of construction. In order to achieve the LEED Silver rating, the buildings and their construction team must meet high environmental standards regarding design, construction and operation. This includes resource conservation through advanced power and water management design, natural lighting, recycling and using locally extracted or manufactured materials, among other things. This project and the LEED-certification goals were set in the 2006 “Green Lease” signed between the Port and ITS. Since that signing, major improvements have been added to the container terminal, including the Port’s first shoreside power-equipped container wharf, which was recently dedicated as a part of the Pier G Terminal Redevelopment Program. The administration and operations buildings project will be phased in over the next three years to minimize the impact on the existing trucking gate and the working container terminal’s operations.