(SAN FRANCISCO) – The San Francisco office of Hines, the international real estate firm, announced today that 101 California in San Francisco received its LEED® certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, the nation’s leading evaluator for green building. The property was certified in the Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance program.
101 California is a 48-story, 1,250,000-square-foot multi-tenant office building that is owned, managed and leased by Hines.
Hines developed the Philip Johnson-designed tower, which opened in 1982.
The chief executive officer of Hines’ West Region, Jim Buie, said, “Our history with 101 California is demonstrative of Hines’ holistic approach to real estate.
We develop properties of the highest quality and then operate them with a long-term owner’s perspective, aggressively managing energy costs and preserving capital value.
After 26 years, 101 California remains one of the finest and most efficient office properties in the region.”
101 California has been ENERGY STAR® labeled by the United States Environmental Protection Agency since 2003.
In the years since, the building has achieved more than $15 million in energy cost savings compared to the average U.S. office building.
With a current score of 94, the building is in the top six percent of buildings nationwide in terms of energy performance, emitting 49 percent fewer carbon emissions than the average office building.
Recent gains in efficiency were accomplished, in part, by a comprehensive building retro-commissioning completed in 2008.
Hines Director of Property Management David Koch said, “The recommissioning process is an often overlooked best operating practice due to its perceived cost and the unfamiliarity of most owners and managers with the process.
As a result of the operating standards we have in place, however, the recomissioning process was faster, smoother and less expensive than it might have been.”
In 2007, 101 California implemented green cleaning standards and introduced a comprehensive recycling and composting program that has increased diversion rates from 10 percent to more than 70 percent.
 In addition to a $250,000 annual cost savings, the current recycling and composting programs result in 700 tons of waste being diverted from landfills annually.
In 2008 and 2009, 101 California won first place in the large building category of the San Francisco Building Owners and Managers Association Earth Awards competition.
The Earth Awards recognize San Francisco building owners and operators who demonstrate responsible environmental practices.
Hines also represents the property as a member of San Francisco’s Building Energy Coalition.
101 California is 95 percent leased to tenants including: Callan Associates, Cooley Godward Kronish, Deutsche Bank, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and Winston & Strawn.
Hines is a leader in the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEEDprogram and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program.
The firm has more than 98 projects, representing approximately 65 million square feet that have been certified, pre-certified or registered under the various LEED programs.
Hines has also labelled more than 130 buildings, representing approximately 76 million square feet, in the ENERGY STAR program.
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 more than 1,100 properties representing approximately 454 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 $25.8 billion, Hines is one of the largest sustainable real estate organizations in the world. Visit www.hines.com for more information.
To learn more about sustainability at Hines, visit www.hines.com/sustainability.