G reen B uildings
M id A tlantic Real Estate Journal — Green Buildings — October 28 - November 10, 2016 — 13B
www.marejournal.com
Team representing the seller was led by Conley, Weir, Meisel, Potts and Nicholson HFF closes $228 million sale of LEED Gold, class A office building in Washington, DC
W
ASHINGTON, DC — Holliday Feno- glio Fowler, L.P.
(HFF) has closed the $228 million sale of The Executive Building, a 332,022 s/f, LEED Gold-certified, class A office building in downtown Wash- ington, DC. HFF marketed the property on behalf of the seller, Invesco Real Estate and procured the buyer, UNIZO Holdings Com- pany, Limited. The Executive Building, lo- cated at 1030 15th St. NW, is situated on a prominent corner location at 15th and L St.s just steps from the McPherson Square and Farragut North and West Metrorail stations,
Stephen Conley
Andrew Weir
Jim Meisel
Dek Potts
Matt Nicholson
models lowers annual utility bills and increases tenant comfort. Using “Zero-VOC” (volatile organic compound) or “low-VOC” paint is a sim- ple way to minimize indoor air pollution. Another trend gaining momentum is zero-energy buildings (ZEB) or build- ings with “zero net energy consumption.” Simply put, the energy used annually by these buildings is about the same as the amount of energy generated through renewable resources. One way this is achieved is us- ing solar, wind power or geothermal to produce en- ergy. At Kimmerle Group’s (KG) corporate headquarters in Harding, an example of successful adaptive reuse design, the building’s geo- thermal heating and cooling system draws on the site for building operation; a solar hot water system provides the building’s hot water supply. Though difficult to achieve ZEB, it’s becoming increas- ingly attainable and is the direction in which many sus- tainable commercial projects are heading, particularly as the cost of solar panels and other equipment becomes more affordable. from Midtown Center, the fu- ture Fannie Mae headquarters that will bring more than 3,500 new employees to downtown Washington, DC, and rival the retail offerings of CityCenter- DC. Additionally, the property is situated just three blocks from the White House and is proximate to many federal
agencies driving the downtown office market. Completed in 2008, the 12-story Executive Building is 93 percent leased to tenants, including The At- lantic Council of the United States and National Quality Forum. The property’s amenity package features a tenant-only fitness center, conference fa- Additional ways architects are incorporating sustainable design elements include: • Green roofs. A rooftop adorned in plantings and vegetation reduces a build- ing’s energy consumption by absorbing solar heat. A green roof also mitigates storm water runoff. This “living” architecture is aesthetically pleasing and a particularly effective way to bring a natu- ral element to buildings in urban settings. One of KG’s current projects, the redevel- opment of Crum & Forster’s corporate headquarters at 305 Madison Ave. in Mor- ristown, will incorporate green roof features. Another option for commercial struc- tures is the “cool” roof, made of materials that have high reflectivity. • Lighting. Lighting rep- resents 15 to 30 percent of a building’s total energy cost. Simple steps, such as replac- ing existing lighting with LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs, makes a significant impact. LED lights last about 40 times longer than regular bulbs and consume about 1/10 energy of incandescent lights. Another still-devel- oping technology is OLED (organic light-emitting di- ode) lighting, which is more
cilities, full-service concierge, on-site retail amenities and a 178-space underground park- ing facility. The HFF investment sales team representing the seller was led by Stephen Con- ley, Andrew Weir, Jim Meisel, Dek Potts and Matt Nicholson . n energy efficient and can be incorporated into free forms because of its flexibility. • Water savings. Install- ing low-flow faucets, show- erheads, and toilets and urinals is an easy way to save water and energy costs. Water reuse in the form of greywater, black water, storm water, and recycled water are other options to conserve water use and/or supplement a building’s wa- ter supply. The site of KG’s corporate headquarters was made green by replacing one third of parking spaces with grass block turf to reduce runoff and enhance aesthetic appeal. Downspouts are run to oak storage barrels for col- lection and redistribution of rainwater, providing irriga- tion to planting beds. • Smart glass also known as electrochromic glass. A yet to be widely available and used technology, smart glass uses a very small amount of electricity to control the amount of light it reflects. The glass can be tinted un- der strong sun exposure and clear in the night. X. “Cindy” Cui, AIA, LEED AP BD+C is senior associate at the Kimmerle Group. n
The Executive Building providing access to the Orange, Blue, Silver and Red lines. The property is situated across
Green architectural features and design reduce environmental impact Sustainability efforts transform commercial office buildings
Sustainability efforts are increasingly common in the commercial real estate in-
tion – including state/local incentives and marketing benefits – the application process is expensive and time-consuming which de- ters many people from pur- suing this certification de- spite having buildings that would meet LEED criteria. But, sustainable design goes beyond achieving LEED certification. Employees feel good about working in high-performing, healthy and cost-effective buildings; design features that save energy and money while enhancing tenant comfort are increasingly common. According to the Environ- mental Protection Agency, by 2035 about 75 percent of all commercial buildings will be new or renovated. This presents a tremendous opportunity for architecture and design firms to ensure that buildings are more ef- ficient than ever before. While creating an ener- gy-efficient building does require upfront costs, the long-term payback makes these projects cost effec- tive. For example, major areas of a building’s energy consumption are its heating and cooling systems. But re- placing outdated equipment with newer energy-saving
dustry, with p r o p e r t y owners and managers – along with the i r t en- ants placing i n c r e a s e d focus on in- corporating design fea-
X. “Cindy” Cui
tures that are environmen- tally sound while reducing energy consumption over the lifespan of a building. Sustainable building has rapidly evolved in the last 20 years. The 2000 launch of the Leadership in En- ergy and Environmental Design (LEED) program – developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) – changed the way buildings are designed, con- structed, operated and main- tained. More importantly, it changed people’s perception about green building. Today, about 33 percent of build- ing projects in the US have green features, and by 2018 that number is expected to grow to about 50 percent. While many property own- ers recognize the advantages of seeking LEED certifica-
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