2025 California Green Building Awards
Merit in Carbon
300 Kansas is the first core and shell project globally to earn ILFI Zero Carbon certification. This R&D and advanced manufacturing facility achieved this innovative milestone by holistically addressing both operational and embodied carbon.
Operationally, the all-electric building demonstrated a 25% reduction in Energy Use compared to an ASHRAE 90.1-2010 compliant new building. Crucially, 100% of its operational energy is provided by off-site renewable sources.
For embodied carbon, the project set a new standard by achieving a 22% emission reduction against a baseline building, primarily through concrete mix design optimization. Its total embodied carbon impact of 350 kg CO2e/m2 is well below the ILFI limit of 500 kg CO2e/m2. Furthermore, 100% of the disclosed embodied carbon emissions were offset through the purchase of ILFI-approved carbon offsets. To meet ambitious embodied carbon reduction goals, the construction partners, vendors, and suppliers were engaged early, which ensured that embodied carbon strategies were embedded into procurement, façade choices, and concrete mixes.
This comprehensive approach to decarbonization, coupled with achieving LEED Gold certification, establishes 300 Kansas as a leading model for large-scale, developer led, low-carbon development.