The Plaza Building is the First Existing Building in Portland to Achieve Certification under New LEED(R) for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance Program. PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Standard earned a coveted LEED Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance Gold Certification for its Standard Plaza home office building. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. The Standard is pleased to have the first building in Portland, Oregon, to achieve any LEED rating for the Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance program. Located in downtown Portland, the 217,000-square-foot, Class A home office building was originally built in 1963. The Gold Certification is the USGBC’s second-highest rating. "The LEED-certified approach to the design and renovation of existing buildings brings significant cost savings through energy efficiency – and also reflects The Standard's commitment to supporting healthy and sustainable communities where our employees live and work," said Greg Ness, president and CEO at The Standard. Green Building Services, the sustainability consultant for the project, brought a wealth of expertise to the endeavor. "The new LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance system addresses the ongoing services required to ensure high performance over time. This shift in focus enables building owners and managers to concentrate on operational efficiencies, resulting in significant savings," said Elaine Aye, principal at Green Building Services. LEED certification of Standard Plaza was based on a number of green design features and operational best practices that positively impact the property itself and the broader community. The sustainability programs successfully implemented at The Standard demonstrate how a building constructed 46 years ago can profitably achieve energy and resource efficiency that compares favorably with newer construction. "Gold" highlights of the Plaza building include: * Plumbing retrofits which are resulting in a savings of 2.5 million gallons of potable water annually * High participation rate of building occupants utilizing alternative modes of transportation for commuting * Secure parking for 75 bikes * Green cleaning and recycling programs that are improving indoor environmental quality, reducing toxic chemicals and diverting waste from landfills * Using a new “Green Lease” that asks tenants to partner with The Standard to help with green efforts To implement these features, The Standard invested more than $208,000 in efficiency upgrades to equipment, operations and employee practices. These improvements are expected to generate approximately $111,000 in annual savings, and have a simple payback period of 1.9 years. The energy performance of the building rates in the top 20 percent of similar facilities nationwide and has earned the EPA's Energy Star label, reflecting the company's commitment to being a smart energy consumer. By making the energy-saving improvements to the Plaza, The Standard estimates it will save the company approximately $1.3 million in utility and operational savings over the next 15 years.
