by Shane Henson — October 25, 2013—Transwestern, a privately held real estate firm, announced this week that its commercial and mixed-use property located at 815 Connecticut Ave., NW in Washington, DC, has achieved LEED Platinum certification for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (LEED EBOM) from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
The certification was earned after the successful completion of a redevelopment plan to transform this existing Class A building to a trophy “green” building. Phase I of the building redevelopment was the replacement of the central plant equipment with state-of-the-art, energy-efficient equipment to provide better control of the ambient temperature within the building and to also reduce operating costs via reduced electricity usage.
The ability to monitor the power consumption of individual mechanical components was built into the new plant so that future energy savings could be planned and monitored in real time. According to Transwestern, the ENERGY STAR rating skyrocketed nearly 50 points to 82 after the first year the new chiller plant was in operation.
Phase II of the redevelopment plan included the replacement of the exterior façade of the building with a curtain wall system, and the addition of a penthouse rooftop terrace. Among other building improvements were restroom upgrades for persons with disabilities, and expanded lobby and plaza upgrades. Further, the floor plates were expanded to gain additional rentable office space.
Other highlights of the project include:
- Approximately $350,000 annual savings in utility expenses
- 75% of wood used in the project is FSC-certified
- 16% of materials used for construction contain post-consumer recycled materials
- 70% of energy used is offset by Green-e certified, off-site renewable energy sources
- 90% building reuse
- 75% of waste was diverted from landfills and incinerators during the construction process
- Low-flow toilets, urinals and faucets installed
Transwestern says that along with immediate physical actions taken to help the building earn the certification, some indirect long-term efforts include putting in place a building exterior and landscape management program to help sustain the local environment and ecosystems, and a tenant education program to raise awareness and encourage tenants to engage in sustainable practices at work and at home.
