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With headquarters in London, HSBC is one of the world's largest banking and financial services organizations. When HSBC merged with another local bank (Bital) in 2002, the company purchased the new Torre Angel building on the Paseo de la Reforma - Mexico City's main thoroughfare - for its consolidated Mexican headquarters.

This project served as a pilot for HSBC as its Corporate Real Estate group began to rethink the company's global workplace standards. HOK helped HSBC study ways to increase the density of its Mexican headquarters building.

Strategies developed for a 100-person pilot group include implementing alternative ways of working such as telecommuting, hoteling and space-sharing.

Several sustainable strategies helped the project achieve LEED Gold status:

1. Daylight is accessible to as many building occupants as possible through an efficient open office plan.
2. A 4,000 square-foot green roof reduces storm water runoff, filters pollutants and CO2 out of the air, and reduces the urban heat island effect.
3. An onsite gray water treatment plant sends treated water to water closets and chillers and collects storm water for irrigation.
4. The team selected low-VOC carpeting and used GreenGuard certified furniture from Knoll, Herman Miller and Haworth.
5. Public transportation is convenient for occupants because of the site's close proximity to several bus stops and a public transit station.
6. The facility offers bike racks for employees on the ground level, and several local materials and resources were used during construction.

This project serves as an example for greening the community and creating environmentally friendly buildings.