WASHINGTON, DC-1133 15th St., NW, a 42-year-old, class B office building has been awarded Gold LEED certification for Existing Buildings–Operations and Management. It is the first class B office building in the District to achieve this distinction, according to CB Richard Ellis. The 96% leased building is controlled by Clark Enterprises.
There have only been a handful of buildings in the District to achieve the top LEED designations, especially in the EB-OP category. The costs and benefits of such a retrofit must naturally be weighed--a calculation that in recent years has been affected by the recession and the collapse of several commercial real estate markets.
One factor that convinces landlords to move forward with such an investment is the weight a LEED designation still holds among tenants. In the case of 1133 15th St., there will be some 55,000 square feet of space in the building becoming available soon.
To achieve Gold LEED EB-OP, Clark Enterprises completed plumbing retrofits that are anticipated to reduce potable water consumption by 350,000 gallons per year and hired an independent energy auditor to complete an ASHRAE Level 1 Energy Audit and Retro-Commissioning Study that identified low-cost energy conservation measures.
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