- The Only Core and Shell Project to be LEED Silver Certified in the State of California - - Alexandria Continues to Lead The Innovation of Life Science Property Development With a Focus on Green Building and Development Practices - PASADENA, Calif., Dec. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE:ARE) today announced that it was granted Silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council for its build-to-suit property for an industry-leading biotechnology company, located at 681 Gateway, South San Francisco, California. This is one of the first office/laboratory spaces in the U.S. to have been certified in the LEED Core and Shell pilot program and the only Core and Shell office/laboratory project to be LEED Silver certified in the State of California. LEED is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. Core and Shell encompasses base building elements such as structure, envelope and the HVAC system. "Recognizing that the trend in real estate is green, in developing the site at 681 Gateway, we set out to create state-of-the-art office/laboratory shell that was highly efficient and environmentally beneficial. We are pleased that our efforts have been recognized by receiving a Silver LEED designation, the first in our niche and a high standard to have achieved," said Joel S. Marcus, Chief Executive Officer of Alexandria. "Incorporating environmental best practices into our building projects is an important way forward and we have established ourselves as a leader in creating energy efficient and sustainable office/laboratory space. Since our inception, Alexandria has pioneered the development of office/laboratory space for the life science sector and we are now pleased to be the pioneers of a green initiative in our niche."
