Press Releases
DUARTE, Calif., Feb. 21, 2018 -- Prolacta Bioscience, the nation's leading provider of human milk-based neonatal nutritional products to hospitals, announced today it has earned a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification for its new, 40,338 sq. ft. headquarters in Duarte, CA. The certification is awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and recognizes the project's highly efficient, healthy and cost-saving design.
"We were determined to make our new headquarters green because it's the right thing to do for our employees, and the environment," said Prolacta President and CEO Scott Elster.
Prolacta's Duarte headquarters received high marks in the LEED Energy & Atmosphere category. Lighting installed in the building uses 55.5 percent less energy than standard lighting solutions, and ENERGY STAR-rated appliances and equipment were incorporated into the building to improve efficiency. The innovative one-story building also focused on water security and drought conditions, which are priorities in Southern California. Prolacta achieved every available point for water efficiency in the LEED Water Efficiency category, earning extra points for overall water-use reduction. Use of low-flow fixtures reduces the building's indoor potable water use by 43.5 percent.
"We are honored to have achieved a LEED Gold certification, and to partner with a mission-driven organization like Prolacta that shares in our commitment to sustainability and the environment," said Drew Shula, Founder and Principal of Verdical Group, the Los Angeles-based green building consulting firm that oversaw the project. "We exceeded our expectations, and it's a testimony not only to the efficient and sustainable design of the building, but also to Prolacta's commitment to improving its community and providing an exceptional work environment for its employees."
The Prolacta project earned four out of six possible points in the Regional Priority LEED credit category, for its positive impact on the local community. Of total building materials, 10.5 percent were manufactured using recycled materials, and 31.8 percent of materials used were manufactured within 500 miles of the building site. In addition, with its location next to the Metro gold line Duarte station, the building helps reduce the negative impacts of single-occupancy vehicle transportation on the environment and the community. The building also promotes improved air quality by reducing Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions in the materials used, and the project established a green cleaning policy that is used throughout the facility.
Other project partners included AC Martin, TK1SC and Driver SPG.
Prolacta Bioscience, Inc. is a privately-held life sciences company dedicated to Advancing the Science of Human Milk®. The company pioneered the development of human milk-based neonatal nutritional products to meet the needs of critically ill, premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Prolacta leads the industry in the quality and safety of nutritional products made from donor breast milk and operates the first and only pharmaceutical-grade manufacturing facility for the processing of human breast milk.