by Brianna Crandall — November 7, 2014—Global real estate firm Transwestern announced at the end of October that the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) approved the company’s proposed LEED v4 Volume Program for its managed office buildings, which will save owners a significant amount of time and money in obtaining certification under the USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating program.
According to Transwestern, the program is the first prototype in the world to be certified under the LEED v4 rating systems. The company’s building prototype was pre-certified LEED Platinum under the LEED v4 Operations and Maintenance: Existing Buildings rating system, achieving a total of 86 points out of a possible 110 points. The prototype will allow Transwestern to certify more properties at a faster rate and earn higher certification levels under the more stringent v4 rating systems.
The LEED v4 Volume Program allows organizations to streamline the LEED documentation and certification process for like properties, regardless of building ownership. To launch the program, Transwestern developed a theoretical building prototype that encompasses typical characteristics of office buildings in Transwestern’s managed portfolio.
Transwestern’s in-house sustainability team then analyzed each of the possible 110 credits and developed a plan for how the building prototype would achieve that credit. The USGBC reviewed Transwestern’s prototype and proposed plan, awarding the prototype a total of 86 points for a Platinum-level LEED precertification.
With the LEED v4 Volume Program in place, all Transwestern-managed office buildings that meet the prototype’s criteria can take advantage of a streamlined and cost-effective certification process. Specifically, the review period is significantly shorter, as the USGBC no longer has to review each credit a building pursues since the Transwestern methodology for that credit has already been approved in the LEED v4 Volume precertification.
Additionally, Transwestern’s LEED v4 Volume Program accommodates buildings pursuing LEED for the first time, as well as those seeking recertification. The LEED v4 Volume Program standardizes internal quality control processes and methodologies for credit achievement and provides in-depth education and hands-on experience for on-site management teams, enabling them to better manage their property through sustainable principles.
Transwestern’s in-house sustainability team has hands-on experience in many areas of sustainability and provides a variety of services, including energy audits, commissioning, ENERGY STAR benchmarking, LEED certification services and sustainability education. As of mid-year 2014, the team has certified 88 properties totaling 26.8 million square feet, and its efforts have been estimated to have saved 47.2 million gallons of water, 303,852 tons of CO2, and 336,060 tons of waste.
In November 2013, the firm launched its first LEED Volume Program under the 2009 rating systems, also earning a Platinum-level precertification. At the same time, a Transwestern-managed office building was the first in the world to earn certification under the LEED v4 Operations and Maintenance rating system. Most recently, Transwestern assisted the Maple Dale School in Fox Point, Wisconsin, in becoming the world’s first school to earn certification under the LEED v4 O+M: Schools rating system, and only the fourth LEED v4 O+M-certified project in the world.
Transwestern is a privately held real estate firm specializing in agency leasing, property and facilities management, tenant advisory, capital markets, research and sustainability. The fully integrated global enterprise leverages competencies in office, industrial, retail, multifamily and healthcare properties to add value for investors, owners and occupiers of real estate. As a member of the Transwestern family of companies, the firm capitalizes on market insights and operational expertise of independent affiliates specializing in development, real estate investment management and research. Transwestern has 34 U.S. offices and assists clients through more than 180 offices in 38 countries as part of a strategic alliance with Paris-based BNP Paribas Real Estate.
