Walter J. Towers

Profile: Walter J Towers Medical Office Building – 1930 Wilshire Blvd.

Iconic to its MacArthur Park location since its construction in 1928, the Walter J Towers medical office building complex has become a model for evolving a gracefully aging building into a new generation of resource efficiency.  A variety of medical practices are located in the Towers, which was also home to one of the city’s first 24-hour, walk-in clinics.

Scope of Work and Customer Goals:

ReGreen was retained to develop a renewable energy solution for the Towers.  The team devised a solution to erect solar support structures that would shade both its outdoor garden and a section of the surface parking lot.

The project broke new ground because of its unique interconnection with LADWP’s power grid.  Then, near the end of the design process, the owner discovered that a new high-rise building was to go up on an adjacent vacant lot.  ReGreen created animated solar studies to model the shadow pattern of the proposed structure to redesign the PV system.  The ReGreen team collaborated closely with LADWP and the LA Dept of Building and Safety to properly reconfigure the system and meet the installation schedule.

Results:

•        30% reduction in energy pulled from the grid

•       1185 solar panels produces 300 mwh annually

•       Over $475,000 utility rebate

•       $600,000 savings projected over 10 years

•       Full financing – $2 million – arranged by ReGreen

•       $0 up-front cost to the customer

•       Creation of shaded, “preferred” parking