LEED™ for Existing Buildings Update

By Michael Arny Chair, LEED for Existing Buildings Committee, USGBC; President, Leonardo Academy

The LEED™ for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) Rating System is part of a comprehensive suite of LEED assessment tools developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to promote sustainable design, construction and operations practices in buildings nationwide. LEED-EB helps building owners and managers operate and upgrade their buildings in a sustainable way over the long term. To achieve this goal, LEED-EB provides certification and re-certification of building operation to recognize building owners’ ongoing achievements.

Atlanta’s Theatrical Outfit hopes to claim the nation’s first LEED-certified theatre in the newly renovated Herren’s Building

Re-certification under LEED-EB covers both existing buildings that are being LEED certified for the first time and re-certification of existing buildings previously certified under LEED for new construction and major renovations (LEED-NC).

Benefits: LEED-EB helps

• Solve building operation problems
• Reduce building operating costs
• Improve the building environment for occupants
• Communicate the importance of consistent building O&M to decision makers
• Create a culture of sustainability within an organization
• Deliver ocommunicated environmental objectives to an organization

National Geographic Society Headquarters Complex (Certified Silver, November 2003)

The National Geographic Society is the world’s largest scientific and education non-profit organization. Established in 1888 for the increase and diffusion of geographic knowledge, National Geographic reflects the world through magazines, books, videos, maps, television and interactive media.

The National Geographic Society Headquarters, located in Washington, D.C., was the first project to be certified under the LEED-EB Rating System. This project demonstrates the effectiveness of LEED-EB applied to older buildings, as the Headquarters Complex is comprised of four interconnected buildings ranging from 20 to 100 years old.

These buildings, totaling 840,000 square feet, are classified as class A commercial office buildings, but also contain a TV studio, photography labs and process areas, archives, a health facility and cafeteria/food service facility. The buildings have on-site parking and a full-time maintenance staff. Heating and cooling for the complex is provided by on-site plants.

Benefits from the sustainable upgrades and operating practices that earned the National Geographic Society Headquarters a LEED-EB Silver Rating include: energy savings and other operational savings, increase in employee satisfaction, increase in the market value of the property by $4 for every $1 invested in the upgrade project, and an enhanced credit rating for the organization.

Thomas Properties Group / Joe Serna Jr. - EPA Headquarters (Certified Gold, November 2003)

Thomas Properties Group is a full service real estate operating company and institutional investment manager focused on the development, acquisition, operation and ownership of commercial properties throughout the U.S.

Thomas Properties Group developed the Joe Serna Jr. - California EPA Headquarters Building in partnership with the City of Sacramento as the build-to-suit headquarters of the California Environmental Protection Agency. The Cal/EPA Headquarters Building is Sacramento’s largest high-rise real estate project. The 25-story, 950,000-square-foot class A, high-rise office building was completed in early 2001 and is a milestone in sustainable development.

Every aspect of the building’s design and construction incorporated sustainable, yet economically competitive, technologies, materials, methods and processes. LEED-EB was an easy fit for this already efficient building.

Benefits from the sustainable design and operating practices that earned the Thomas Properties Group Cal/EPA Headquarters building a LEED-EB Gold Rating include: energy savings of 26 percent relative to the California 1998 energy code, daylight janitorial services are saving energy while providing increased occupant satisfaction with the janitorial service and reduced janitorial staff turnover, 60 percent of the building occupants chose an alternative mode of transportation, and increased market value of the building due to reduced operating costs.

JohnsonDiversey’s Global Headquarters (Certified Gold, March 2004)

JohnsonDiversey is a privately held, family-managed company that produces commercial cleaning and hygiene products.

JohnsonDiversey Global Headquarters, located in Sturtevant, Wisconsin, is a three-story mixed-use facility constructed in 1997. Office space and research laboratories comprise the building’s 277,440 square feet of floor area.

The building was designed based on green-building principals, with high energy efficiency, extensive use of natural lighting, and individual control of workspace environments. Already designed with sustainability in mind, the work to achieve LEED-EB certification was focused on documenting and improving the operations and maintenance procedures for the building and grounds.

Benefits from the sustainable design and operating practices that earned the JohnsonDiversey Headquarters a LEED-EB Gold Rating include: energy savings, reduced water use for irrigation, reduced waste disposal through increased recycling and alignment of building and site operating practices with sustainable principles.

Johnson Controls Brengel Technology Center (Re-certified Gold, March 2004)

Johnson Controls is a global market leader in automotive systems and facility management and control. Construction of Johnson Controls Brengel Technology Center, located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was completed in 2000. The 130,000- square-foot building is seven stories tall and houses offices and meeting spaces.

Brengel Technology Center was first certified under LEED-NC at a Silver level and was the first building to be re-certified under LEED-EB.

This project provides a good example of initial certification under either LEED-NC or LEED-EB and the demonstrable improvements that can be made through re-certification under LEED-EB. LEED-EB provides Johnson Controls and other buildings with a path for guiding and documenting continuous improvement of building operations, maintenance and performance over time. Benefits from the sustainable design and operating practices that earned the Johnson Controls Brengel Technology Center a LEED-EB Gold Rating include: reduced utilities cost, reduced maintenance and operations staff cost and reduced overall operational costs.