Commercial buildings need to go green
Many high-profile buildings are going green in order to keep existing and attract new tenants.
Mon, Jul 06 2009 at 10:13 AM EST
Photo: midweekpost/Flickr It should come as no surprise that during rough economic times commercial building vacancy rates rise. As companies are forced to pare back or even halt operations, offices across the company are closed down. Building owners hoping to attract new tenants, and even keep existing tenants, are finding that they need to commit to green upgrades.
MNN has already reported about two well-known commercial buildings that have already begun their green renovations. The Empire State Building in New York City is in the middle of a $500 million energy efficiency makeover. Reducing energy costs are one way that companies can cut back on their expenses and meet their corporate sustainability goals.
In addition to the energy efficient retrofit of the building, the owners are also working with tenants on LEED certification. An article on the USA Today website describes one LEED project underway in the Empire State Building – Skanska, a Swedish construction company.
“Skanska wanted its U.S. headquarters to have a LEED "platinum" certification — reserved for only the most efficient of buildings — and it found a willing partner in the Empire State Building. Skanska officials said the building's management helped them install bike racks and add other energy-saving details on the 32nd floor.” Source: USA Today
Yes, you heard that right, bike racks on the 32nd floor. I’ve been to the Empire State Building and although I’m sure that the area around the building has changed a bit during the past decade, I don’t see there being a lot of room for bike racks outside of the building. So up the elevator the bikes will go.
The Skanska project is registered with the U.S. Green Building Council as a LEED for Commercial Interiors project under the LEED CI 2.0 checklist. Skanska already has three LEED certifications under its belt. Locations in Seattle, Wash., Atlanta, Ga., and Orlando, Fla., have received LEED Gold certification.
The Sears Tower green renovation was also discussed in the USA Today article. In March, I initially blogged about the plans to retrofit the one-time tallest building in the world. At that time, specific information about the green upgrades was not available. However, details were finally released just a few weeks ago.The iconic antennas at the top of the building will be getting a few neighbors – wind turbines, roof gardens and solar panels are planned for the top of the Sears Tower as part of a $350 million eco-renovation. Wind turbines in the windy city, what a great idea!
As more companies begin to commit to sustainability, the demand for green office space will only rise. Depending on the size of the project, green building retrofits can take years to complete so wise building owners are getting started on these renovations sooner vs. later.
Photo: Pat Hawks
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Comments
EMerge Alliance
07/14/2009 13:35 PM
Demand for green building is growing, especially in the commercial space where buildings account for a large majority of our country’s energy consumption, however, these developers have come under fire recently for throwing around the LEED certification loosely in an attempt to attract new tenants. This is why the USGBC recently announced that reporting energy data will be a requirement and not a credit. This is going to test the national commitment to green building because of the additional.... More
