(DENVER) – Hines, the international real estate firm, announced today that 1515 Wynkoop in Lower Downtown (LoDo) Denver, has been certified LEED® Gold in the U.S. Green Building Council’s Core & Shell rating system and has also been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as “Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR®”.
1515 Wynkoop is the first and only multi-tenant office property in Denver to achieve both designations.
Designed by Hartman-Cox Architects and Gensler, the eight-story 306,791-square-foot office building was developed by Hines and opened in March of this year.
Green building features include: locker rooms, showers and bicycle storage for commuters; a reflective roof, which reduces heat island effect; a 53 percent reduction in the use of potable water for landscape irrigation; use of low-emitting materials, adhesives, paints and sealants; and enhanced indoor air quality by increased outdoor air ventilation and the implementation of a green cleaning program.
In addition, more than 95 percent of construction waste was diverted from the landfill back into the manufacturing cycle.
Using ENERGY STAR's Target Finder tool, 1515 Wynkoop achieved an ENERGY STAR rating of 97 which means that, if it performs as intended, the building will be in the nation's top four percent in terms of energy performance for a commercial office building.
Hines anticipates that the building will consume 53 percent less energy and 31 percent less water than the average U.S. building.
Resulting projected greenhouse gas reductions are equivalent to removing 770 cars from the road annually.
Hines Senior Vice President Charles Elder said, “We’re proud to have the highest-quality sustainable design project in downtown Denver.
We’re also pleased to have attracted a building full of visionary tenants who are passionate about environmental issues and committed to creating a healthy and productive workplace for their employees.”
Van Gilder Insurance Corporation CEO Michael Van Gilder added, “When my firm set out to find a new home after 30 years we had a few requirements, including an environmentally friendly building, an owner/operator that was focused on the well being of the tenants, and close proximity to mass transit and the heart of our city’s commerce.
After searching for more than six months our decision was easy once we met with Hines and understood what 1515 Wynkoop offered.”
1515 Wynkoop is approximately 84 percent leased to Van Gilder Insurance Corporation, Samuel Gary Jr. & Associates, Inc., Polsinelli Shughart, P.C., Black Hills Energy; Policy Studies, Inc.; and Fogo de Chao.
1515 Wynkoop is owned and managed by Hines.
Frederick Ross & Associates provides brokerage services.
Hines is one of the most sustainable real estate companies in the world.
In 2009 Hines was recognized by the EPA, for the second time, with the ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award; Hines has labelled 138 buildings, representing approximately 76 million square feet, in the ENERGY STAR program.
Twelve Hines development or redevelopment projects, representing more than six million square feet, have qualified as Designed to the Earn the ENERGY STAR.
In aggregate, Hines’ projects represent approximately 20 percent of the Designed to the Earn the ENERGY STAR program, as measured by square footage.
Hines is also a leader in the U.S. Green Building Council’s programs, with 146 projects, representing approximately 89 million square feet that have been certified, pre-certified or registered under the various LEED rating systems.
Hines was a founding member of the German Sustainable Building Council and is currently engaged in the creation of a Russia Green Building Council. Hines is also active in the BRE Environmental Assessment Method program in the United Kingdom and the Haute Qualité Environnementale program in France
Hines is a privately owned real estate firm involved in real estate investment, development and property management worldwide. The firm’s historical and current portfolio of projects that are underway, completed, acquired and managed for third parties includes 1,111 properties representing more than 449 million square feet of office, residential, mixed-use, industrial, hotel, medical and sports facilities, as well as large, master-planned communities and land developments. With offices in more than 100 cities in 17 countries, and controlled assets valued at approximately $22.9 billion, Hines is one of the largest real estate organizations in the world. Visit www.hines.com for more information.