Helios House Explained
| Helios House |
| Coordinates: | 34.0593°N -118.3833°W |
| Building Type: | Gasoline service station |
| Architectural Style: | Green |
| Location: | Pico-Robertson |
| Address: | 8770 W. Olympic Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035 |
| Location City: | Los Angeles |
| Location Country: | United States |
| Current Tenants: | Speedway Express |
| Est Completion: | --> |
| Destruction Date: | --> |
| Management: | or |
| Operator: | or |
| Governing Body: | --> |
| Material: | Recycled stainless steel and wood |
| Floor Count: | 1 |
| Architecture Firm: | Office dA & Johnston Marklee |
The Helios House is a gas station in Los Angeles, California, United States, located on Olympic Boulevard. It is designed as a green station with special features and is considered to be the "station of the future." It is the first gas station in the world ever to be submitted for LEED certification.[1] [2] [3]
The gas station was designed by Office dA (Principal architects Monica Ponce de Leon and Nader Tehrani) in Boston and Johnston Marklee Architects in Los Angeles.[4] The architects were hired by Ogilvy & Mather, led by Brian Collins. The lead on this project was Ann Hand, and the purpose of the design was to reinvent the gas stations.[5]
The station's roof is designed of triangles made from recycled stainless steel and contains cacti and 90 solar panels.[6] This reduces the energy consumption of the station by 16%.[7] The station's roof is drought tolerant and collects water for irrigation.[8] The station replaced a run-down Thrifty gas station that previously occupied the site.[9]
Built in 2007, it is seen as a Los Angeles landmark. It started out selling BP branded gasoline (at the time, the only BP branded station in the West Coast), but in 2009 switched to its more prominent West Coast sister brand (at the time) ARCO.[10] As of 2021, it is a Speedway Express, a gas station-only brand of the Speedway chain, which, in turn, was a former subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum, ARCO's current parent company, and now a subsidiary of Seven & I Holdings, parent company of 7-Eleven.
Features of the station
Structural
- Made of cradle to cradle recyclable stainless steel[11]
- Farmed wood facade[11]
- reducing landscaping[11]
- Grass planted on roof to reduce the need for mechanical heating or cooling[11]
- Catch basin prevents runoff into ocean [11]
- Canopy collects rainwater used for on-site irrigation and to meet station's water needs[11]
- LOW-VOC paint used in back of building[11]
- Signage made from recycled material[11]
Energy saving
- Canopy lighting uses up to 20% less energy than traditional gas stations [11]
- LED lighting throughout the station, using low amounts of energy to achieve the same brightness [11]
- Roof contains 90 solar panels, which can produce the energy needed for 2-3 average American homes[11]
- Photocells and timers help customize energy needs to time of day and amount of light[11]
Restroom features
- Walls made from farmed wood and rapidly renewing bamboo[11]
- Motion sensor lights, reducing energy waste when not in use[11]
- Bathroom sinks are made out of recycled aluminum shavings[11]
- Floor tiles made from recycled glass[11]
- Low water volume faucets, which shut off automatically when not in use to prevent water waste[11]
Other
- On-site recycling of paper, cans, bottles, and cell phones is provided[11]
- Maintenance conducted with recycled, eco-friendly products[11]
- Old materials used in construction have been re-used or recycled[11]
Notes and References
- News: McCann . Sarah More . BP creates a greener place to pump gas . . July 10, 2008.
- News: Douglass . Elizabeth . Paradox at the pump: BP touts new gas station as eco-friendly. . February 23, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120924132233/http://amarillo.com/stories/022307/bus_6886726.shtml . 2012-09-24 . dead.
- Book: Gibson, David . [{{Google books|XatRrLaZ-AcC|page=71|plainurl=yes|keywords=Helios House}} The Wayfinding Handbook: Information Design for Public Places ]. 71 . 2009 . 9781568987699 . Princeton Architectural Press . Google Books.
- Office dA . . Vernon . Mays . July 9, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090831023248/https://www.architectmagazine.com/architects/office-da.aspx . 2009-08-31 . dead.
- Book: Stone, Terry Lee . [{{Google books|kblTAknwto0C|page=33|plainurl=yes|keywords=Helios House}} Managing the Design Process-Implementing Design: An Essential Manual for the Working Designer ]. 33–34 . Rockport Publishers . 2010 . 9781610580649 . Google Books.
- Book: Kossovsky, Nir . Mission: Intangible: Managing Risk and Reputation to Create Enterprise Value . 132 . Trafford. 2010 . 9781426924149 . Google Books.
- Book: Jodidio, Philip . Architecture and Automobiles . Los Angeles . 98 . Images Publishing . 2011 . 9781864703306 . Google Books.
- News: Sokol . David . Green Gas Stations: Pit stops dishing out biofuel and ethanol are adopting sustainable architecture to show they're green through and through . Bloomberg Businessweek . August 10, 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080519114156/http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/aug2007/id20070810_943939.htm . May 19, 2008 .
- News: A paradox at the pump . . February 21, 2007 . Elizabeth . Douglass.
- https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0594338,-118.3834013,3a,16.6y,181.87h,86.32t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sYn3NskRT06-Jm50GpB3JgQ!2e0!5s20090501T000000!7i13312!8i6656 Google Street View of the Helios House in May 2009
- Web site: Helios House . BP . https://web.archive.org/web/20120511010252/https://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/power_station/power_station_us/STAGING/local_assets/downloads/greencurvestation.pdf . 2012-05-11 . dead.
