by Shane Henson — November 6, 2013—The Lenkin Company and The Tower Companies announced earlier this week that the “jewel-box” commercial office building located at 1050 K Street in downtown Washington, DC, has earned LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance from the U.S. Green Building Council. 1050 K Street was designed by Hickok Cole.
LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance is a tool for the ongoing operations and maintenance of existing commercial and institutional buildings. The certification system identifies and rewards current best practices and provides an outline for buildings to use less energy, water, and natural resources; improve the indoor environment; and uncover operating inefficiencies.
1050 K Street was previously certified LEED Gold in 2008 for its core and shell construction. This current certification confirms that the building is operated in an environmentally friendly way. The 136,000-square-feet, 11-story, commercial office building reached Platinum certification by leveraging the sustainable features incorporated in the building’s design and by operating at the highest levels of efficiency while providing the best possible indoor environment to tenants, says The Lenkin Company.
Some of the elements that elevated 1050 K Street to Platinum status include:
- The building has a high level of energy and water efficiency.
- The full glass curtain wall provides an abundance of daylight which reduces lighting requirements and electric demand.
- Public transportation nearby reduces the burden of driving and carbon emissions.
- The purchase of renewable energy certificates (RECs) offsets 100 percent of the building energy consumption.
Currently 98.5% occupied, 1050 K Street incorporates the natural elements of air, water, earth and light with features such as a sky garden, with exquisite views of DC, a fitness center and private art galleries. Located near public transportation and the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, the building is capable of retaining its own stormwater for irrigation of its street planters and green roof.
According to The Lenkin Company, 1050 K Street reduces tenants’ carbon footprint, is 26% more energy efficient than ASHRAE 90.1 standards, saves 2 million gallons of water yearly, removes 85% of airborne pollutants, and replaces 100% of the air every 51 minutes. The design incorporates a heat recovery wheel, which captures energy in the exhaust air, normally wasted, and allows it to be used to precondition the fresh air supply.
The skin of the 1050 K Street building contains a blue glass with high shading coefficient that gives the building a unique character and differentiates it from the other transparent glass buildings in the area, adds the company. The building’s glazed curtainwall and hi-tech glass system were engineered to assure thermal comfort. Over 67% of the building’s materials are said to be sourced locally.
The Lenkin Company is a full-service management and construction firm founded in 1929 that has developed and built more than 4.5 million square feet of commercial properties and approximately 2,200 apartment units in the Washington Metropolitan area.
The Tower Companies is an award-winning real estate development company founded in 1947, headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, and a regional builder of USGBC LEED projects.
