BALTIMORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--8840 Stanford Boulevard, an office building in Columbia, has been certified LEED®-EBOM Gold (LEED for Existing Buildings Operations & Maintenance) by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The building, which is more than 20 years old, was retrofitted by its owner, Merritt Properties, to meet LEED sustainability standards. LEED-EBOM is based on the actual operating performance of an existing building, rather than its design. Merritt, a leader in new green construction, is also focused on ensuring that its existing properties are energy-efficient. The company had already achieved an Energy Star rating of 80 for the building – without renovations -- placing it in the top 25 percent of energy-efficient buildings in the nation. Despite its age, the building was already using 40 percent less energy than similar buildings and releasing about 35 percent less carbon dioxide. To achieve the higher standards of LEED-EBOM Gold, Merritt incorporated a number of eco-friendly strategies, resulting in minimized environmental impact. These include: * Water-efficient restroom fixtures * HVAC retro-commissioning * Weather-driven irrigation system with water-efficient sprinkler heads * Low- to no VOC materials specified for interior build-outs to reduce the possibility of indoor air pollutants * Green housekeeping * Single-stream recycling dumpsters
