(CHICAGO) – The Chicago office of Hines, the international real estate firm, announced today that One North Wacker has received Silver certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® rating system for Existing Buildings (EB).
This represents an improvement over the basic level of certification the property held when it was acquired by the Hines US Core Office Fund LP in 2008.
The building also earned its second ENERGY STAR® label in late 2009 under Hines management.
With an ENERGY STAR score of 81, One North Wacker is 21 percent more energy efficient than the national average office building.
This translates to estimated annual greenhouse gas reductions equivalent to removing 1,200 passenger vehicles from the road.
Located in the West Loop submarket, One North Wacker is a 51-story, 1.4-million-square-foot office tower designed by Goettsch Partners and completed in 2001.
Hines General Property Manager Tom Irvine said, “Certifying an existing building of this size requires a tremendous amount of collaboration between the property manager and tenants; we are grateful to have progressively minded tenants, who share our passions for efficiency, occupant comfort and productivity.”
Anna Marie Francello,executive director in theCorporate Real Estate and Administrative Services Department from UBS said, “Sustainability and environmental management are key fibers of UBS's foundation, and we value partnerships like ours with Hines in obtaining Silver LEED Certification,which contribute to the betterment ofthe communities in which we live and work.”
Hines undertook numerous sustainability measures, including: energy saving operational modifications; ASHRAE Level I and II energy audits; a waste stream audit; implementation of Hines’ Indoor Air Quality Program; implementation of a low-mercury lamp purchasing policy; improvement of building recycling programs to include electronic waste; and roll-out of Hines’ GREEN OFFICE for Tenants program, designed to enhance tenant space.
One North Wacker is leased to a roster of tenants that includes Bank of America Merrill Lynch; Barnes & Thornburg LLP; PricewaterhouseCoopers; and UBS, among others.
Hines oversees leasing of the building.
Hines is one of the most sustainable real estate companies in the world.
In 2010 Hines was recognized by the EPA, for the third time, with the ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award; Hines manages 147 labelled buildings, representing approximately 75 million square feet, in the ENERGY STAR program.
Twelve Hines development or redevelopment projects, representing more than six million square feet, have been designated as Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR.
Hines is also a leader in the U.S. Green Building Council’s programs, with 192 projects, representing more than 100 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 the Russian Green Building Council, and is active in the Green Building Council Brasil, the Green Building Council España, the Green Building Council Italia, the Indian Green Building Council, 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 451 million square feet of office, residential, mixed-use, industrial, hotel, medical and sports facilities, as well as large, master-planned communities and land developments. Hines has offices in more than 100 cities in 17 countries and controls assets valued at approximately $22.2 billion. Visit www.hines.com for more information. To learn more about sustainability at Hines, visit www.hines.com/sustainability.