Stockton Communications Center is LEED Silver Certified

It is becoming more common for municipal construction projects to seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) status. The California Highway Patrol Stockton Area Office approached their new facility with desire for energy efficiency, low environmental impact, and healthy office spaces. Learn how console workstations play a role.

Prioritizing user health, energy efficiency & environmentally-friendly design

The centralized California Highway Patrol (CHP) Stockton Area Office includes administrative offices, conference rooms, locker rooms, a break room, observation room, training spaces, and a 911 emergency dispatch center. The building was designed with spaces that meet the agency's needs today and it allows growth to meet future service needs.

The building achieved LEED Silver certification from the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Earning LEED Silver includes meeting requirements in several design categories. Choosing 911 dispatch workstations built with sustainable materials and manufactured with environmentally conscious processes contributes to LEED's Indoor Environmental Quality category.

The ECC Dispatching Work Area

The dispatch center houses 13 Mercury workstations, designed with operator health, comfort and safety in mind.

Indoor air quality

Workstations are certified low-emitting and contribute to indoor air quality. Indoor air quality, a LEED category, is one way Stockton invests in the health of their operators.

• Mercury Dispatch console desks are Indoor Advantage Gold™ certified by SCSC Global Services. IA Gold certifies compliance with ANSI/BIFMA X7.1/M7.1 as well as ANSI/BIFMA e3-2012 (credit 7.6.1).
  • This rating is independent of the LEED system so your team can benefit from the efforts made by dispatch workstation manufacturers regardless your intent to seek certification.

Ergonomic, thermal and lighting control

In addition, Stockton chose ergonomic adjustments to ease body tension and eye strain, common among 911 dispatchers. Operators can adjust the height of the surface and monitor array to sit or stand while they work. The monitors can be moved forward and backward. A suite of energy efficient environment controls at each workstation allows operators to control temperature and light.

CHP Stockton's investment is good for their team and supports the state's goals to lead the US in clean energy, building efficiency, environmental preservation and operational energy efficiency. Commander Barry Koenig shared this with Bea Ahneck of the Lodi News-Sentinel: "It’s much better for the health and safety of our employees. The old [location] has mold and asbestos present in the building. The new one is a lot more health conscious."

Stockton dispatch desks tread softly on the environment

Watson Consoles adheres to Practical Environmentalism, an aggressive pursuit to minimize impact on our planet. This sensibility is leveraged in parallel with design and engineering workstations for lasting durability.

Materials & Manufacturing Processes

Stockton's dispatcher console workstations were manufactured at Watson's 34 acre forested headquarters located in the Pacific Northwest - Poulsbo, WA, USA. The predominance of materials that comprise Stockton's workstations were sourced domestically which contributes to reduced carbon emissions and supports regional and local economies. Many materials contain high recycled content and can be recycled at end of use. All materials are California Air Resources Board (CARB) compliant.

Taking a queue from Stockton

If you aren't interested in LEED certification, you can use Stockton's example, alongside your own healthful building goals, to inform quality choices of interior materials, including your dispatcher workstations. Consider the long term benefits of human-centered and environmentally-conscious products:

• For ECCs with 24/7 variable staffing it makes good sense to locate thermal and lighting controls at the operator's workstation. This eases the cost of managing lighting and temperature fluctuations across a whole floor.
• Independent thermal and lighting adjustment contributes to a healthier, more comfortable work environment,
  boosting focus and reducing operator absenteeism.
• Low-emitting materials, certified for indoor air quality, reduce occurrences of headaches and fatigue, call-outs, and medical costs associated with the off-gassing of higher-level formaldehyde and other chemical agents found in non-certified products.
• Adjustability reduces the cost associated with work-related repetitive injury, subsequent sick-days, and restaffing.
• When products are designed for 24/7, decade-long durability, agencies buy and dispose less.
• Materials sourced domestically reduce carbon emissions and boost regional economies.
• Products built well are backed by a comprehensive warranty. This mitigates long-term ownership costs associated with maintenance of structural and electronic parts.
• Products created with recycled materials that can be recycled at end-of-use reduce landfill overflow.