J. Stephen Gossett Jr., co-founder and vice president of theDallas-based firm, tells GlobeSt.com that the makeover plan for theseven-story building at 2110 Research Row will result in thereduction of 1,500 metric tons of greenhouse gases or theequivalent of removing about 285 vehicles from the road. Heestimates the savings will surpass 50% of existing energy costs.The "greening up" of the building, owned by Moser Realty Group ofDallas, pencils out to be so promising that Transcend Equity hasjumped into talks with a national REIT to assess itsmedical-related commercial properties for similar gains, Gossettsays.

[IMGCAP(2)]Older medical-related real estate typically uses "twoto three times" more energy than comparably sized traditionaloffice buildings, says Gossett, who estimates the Research Rowbuilding's energy costs are running about $6 per sf to $6.50 per sfannually. The goal is to "future proof it against higher costs ofenergy," he says, "by using off-the-shelf technology and puttingpieces of what you'd put in a brand-new building into an existingbuilding to make it work properly."