SAN FRANCISCO— The Russ Building , a 510,000-square-foot office property located at 235 Montgomery St., is a historic property designed by renowned architect George W. Kelham . Built in 1926 and preserved in its original grandeur, the Russ Building was considered the tallest building until 1963 and is a financial district landmark. The Russ Building earned an initial LEED Gold certification in 2011. The iconic building recently received LEED Platinum recertification, which is required by the US Green Building Council every five years to maintain the LEED for existing buildings designation. Some sustainability highlights of the Russ Building include an ENERGY STAR Score of 98, LEED-compliant cleaning procedures and supplies, recycling and composting program, regular e-waste collection events, green construction standards, LEED-compliant pest control management, secure bicycle storage for tenants, Zipcar, Scoot, and electric vehicle charging on-site. Bill Whitfield , general manager of the Russ Building, tells GlobeSt.com: “It's gratifying to earn this top distinction from the US Green Building Council. To have a building of this vintage achieve Platinum is unique. Shorenstein has made a lot of enhancements over many years to reach this level of performance.” Shorenstein currently owns 35 LEED-certified buildings totaling 15 million square feet, with the majority certified at the Gold level. The company has been a firm advocate for sustainability within the real estate industry. Shorenstein is a member of the Department of Energy 's better buildings challenge, with a public commitment to reducing energy use 20% by 2020 and to sharing energy efficiency best practices with industry peers, as well as a platinum-level corporate member of the US Green Building Council and an Environmental Protection Agency 's ENERGY STAR for commercial buildings partner. LEED for existing buildings operations and maintenance addresses energy efficiency, whole-building cleaning and maintenance issues (including chemical use), recycling programs, exterior maintenance programs and systems upgrades. This type of existing buildings operations and maintenance helps building owners and operators measure operations, improvements and maintenance on a consistent scale, with the goal of maximizing operational efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts.

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Historic Gem Russ Gets Recertified for Platinum

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