LOS ANGELES—Green design does not have to cost a premium, according to Peter Barsuk, a project director at Gensler, who is at the design helm of the 35-acre AltaSea development at the Port of Los Angeles, on which GlobeSt.com previously reported. Although design plans for the $217 million development are still being conceived, Barsuk said that he thinks the budget is “reasonable” for what they are trying to accomplish.

“There are expensive technologies going into this center just to make it what it is, but we need to use this project as an opportunity to educate the public and set an example that this can be done without a large cost premium or any cost premium,” Barsuk tells GlobeSt.com. “From a cost standpoint, if we really understand what some of these technologies are from an early stage, we can overcome a lot of cost challenges. A technology might cost a lot if it is applied one way, but it might be relatively cost neutral if it is applied in another way. By having all of the key players together at the table very early on allows us to best overcome these challenges.”

The first phase of the project is scheduled to break ground in 2017, and will take approximately two years to build. Some of the ideas that are being tossed around include using the oceanic temperature as an air conditioner to cool the rooms and using ample daylight to light the buildings during the day. They are also using smart materials and adaptive reuse of the buildings that already exist on the site. “We are actually giving back to the environment with net positive energy and net positive water. The project will bring together groups that don't typically come together in one district, and gives them the opportunity to be a part of Los Angeles' new waterfront, in which the ports are coming together to create a pedestrian friendly environment and really activate that area,” says Barsuk. “Our vision is that this will be a place that people will want to come to, and that it will really set an example for people around the world and how we can be stewards for the ocean and the environment. Exemplifying that in the actual project is really key to what we are trying to do.”

When asked about the challenges of creating a groundbreaking environmental campus, Barsuk said that they are mostly operational, noting that it is really important to sit everyone involved in the project down at the table to sync their visions and goals for the project. Gensler was one of several design firms that were considered for the position. In the end, AltaSea chose the firm because of its passion for the project and ability to collaborate. Gensler was excited to win the bid. “This gives us a really unique opportunity to address our view on sustainable design, which is that as architects, we have a responsibility to set an example by looking to go beyond from a construction standpoint, says Barsuk.