The campus also features an eco-friendly bioswale system in its parking lot to remove silt and pollution from surface-water runoff, making the automaker one of the first companies in Irvine to voluntarily install one. In keeping with the theme, the campus also features drought-resistant plants, and reclaimed water is used for landscaping irrigation and toilets.
With three levels of competition, the TOBY awards honor buildings at the BOMA local association level, then winning entries will be recognized at the regional level, and, finally, those winners will advance to the international competition. The international TOBY awards will be presented at the BOMA International Conference in Long Beach in June.
This award is not the first that Kia's buildings have received: The manufacturer's headquarters was also recently recognized on the 2009 International Architecture Awards List, presented by the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design and Metropolitan Arts Press Ltd.