10 G St., NE Wins Gold LEED EB Certification

(For more on best practices in building management and operations, watch for Better Buildings, premiering in the February/March issue of Real Estate Forum.)

WASHINGTON, DC-If you’re harboring any doubt that LEED designations impact occupancy, you need look no further than 10 G St., NE. The asset has been certified Gold LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance. The 256,366-square foot Capitol Hill building, owned by The American Psychological Association, is now one of 60 or so buildings in the Washington, DC area that has secured this designation, Megan Pawlowski, general manager for Asset Services at CBRE, tells GlobeSt.com.

Increasingly, she says, landlords see LEED EB: OM as important to keeping and landing new tenants, especially as the market continues to favor tenants. Indeed, one of the reasons why the APA was able to renew one of its major tenants, Amtrak, early was because it was getting the designation, Pawlowski says. “Also, it is a General Services Administration requirement to locate in buildings that are LEED-certified,” preferably at the Gold designation, although Silver is acceptable.

Pawlowski oversees a portfolio of three million square feet of office in 15 buildings in the District, Virginia and Maryland. Of these, she says she has had two buildings pursue LEED EB:OM over the past year and another three that are planning to conduct an analysis.

Ten G St., which delivered in 1996, received a perfect score of 61 points for its Gold certification due in part to its use of CBRE’s sustainability program. The program relies on cooperation with building tenants and service providers to meet the requirements. Some of the steps the APA took to get the certification included designing and installing a rooftop garden, purchasing renewable energy, and having the building occupants step up recycling.

Other buildings in the area that have recently won this certification include 500 New Jersey Ave., NW, which was awarded Gold status in September 2011  and a portfolio of office buildings owned by Beacon Capital Partners that received the Silver designation in July 2011.

Separately, and not that far away from 10 G St., Brookfield Office Properties’ 1625 Eye St., NW has won the Outstanding Building of the Year award from the local Building Owners and Managers International group. The building, which won in the 250,000-to-499,999-square-foot category, was also awarded the Grand TOBY for earning the highest number of points in the competition. The TOBY Awards were created in 1985 by BOMA International to recognize properties that exemplify superior building quality and excellence in office building management.