Nov 16 2009
Shorenstein-owned 555 12th Street in Oakland City Center is the first building in the company's commercial real estate portfolio to be LEED Gold certified through the U.S. Green Building Council's Existing Building Operations and Maintenance (LEED EBOM) program.
LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building employs strategies aimed at improving performance in: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. The LEED EBOM certification of 555 12th Street comes some seven years after it opened in 2002.
555 Building in Oakland City Center
"This is a major accomplishment," said John Dolby, Shorenstein vice president and leasing manager at Oakland City Center. "We are very proud of Property Manager Diana Hernandez, Chief Engineer Mike Berry, and the entire 555 12th Street staff for their persistent efforts over the past 18 months." He added, "We also recognize the importance of the participation of the building's tenants. Their cooperative spirit was a big factor in achieving the certification."
The green building consulting firm of Simon & Associates coordinated the LEED certification process for the building. According to Raphael Sperry, AIA, LEED AP, the initial assessment was conducted in late spring of 2008 and work began in earnest in August 2008. The building was officially designated as LEED Gold on October 31, 2009.
Following are highlights of steps taken to achieve 555 12th Street's LEED Gold certification:
- 555 12th Street has an ENERGY STAR score of 94, which means it is more energy-efficient than 94 percent of office buildings in the United States. The building achieves this exemplary level of energy performance using high-efficiency lighting and mechanical equipment. All major equipment such as chillers and pumps are continuously monitored for energy consumption and have variable-speed drives so they are used only when necessary to meet the demand of the building.
- A detailed energy audit was conducted to identify ways to reduce energy consumption even further, saving money in the process. Items identified included more efficient operation of the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems, and lighting upgrades.
- A comprehensive set of environmental management policies was adopted, addressing products and procedures used in internal and external maintenance and janitorial tasks. Other items addressed were geared towards water conservation, purchasing and waste management. These policies are being adopted by Shorenstein Properties company-wide.
- A diversion rate of over 80 percent away from landfill was achieved through composting of food scraps and soiled paper.
- 555 12th Street staff worked closely with tenants to measure the environmental impact of purchasing in the building as a whole. Thanks to tenant participation, the LEED team was able to calculate that over 40 percent of the purchases in the building (by dollar volume) had green attributes, such as paper with recycled content and ENERGY STAR rated computers and electronics.
Source: http://www.shorenstein.com/