One particular corner in Sunnyvale is turning into a showcase for
ultra-energy-saving building renovation that targets technology tenants.
San Jose-based builder Hillhouse Construction and Portola
Valley-based developer Sharp Development Co. are transforming a 1970s
two-story, 35,000-square-foot building at 415 Mathilda Ave. into Class A
office space that produces zero net energy, or ZNE.
The
project is a sequel to a similar sustainable reconstruction of a
neighboring one-story, 32,000-square-foot building at 435 Indio Way
finished in 2014 by Hillhouse and Sharp. The two projects are an attempt
to show how redesigning an old building as a 21st-century
ZNE structure, meaning it generates as much energy through renewable
sources as it consumes, can be feasible and profitable.
“The purpose is to show it’s economically viable and cost-effective,” Sharp President Kevin Bates said.
The California Energy Commission seems to think so. It awarded a $1.5
million grant to the Mathilda project, viewing it as a model for the
viability of ZNE-incorporated renovation strategies for outmoded
buildings.
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