NEW YORK CITY (1/19/18) — Sustainable Investment Group’s (SIG’s) team of consultants and engineers led SL Green Realty Corp. (SL Green), New York City’s largest owner of commercial real estate, through the impressive feat of LEED-certifying over 8.7 million square feet of existing Class A office space simultaneously. In total, nine (9) of SL Green’s Manhattan buildings earned LEED certification in 2017 alone, and SL Green is not stopping there.
“SL Green is proud that over 50% of our owned and managed portfolio is now LEED certified,” said Elizabeth Majkowski, SVP, Operations and Director of Sustainability for SL Green. “We are applying years of LEED experience to our cutting-edge development, One Vanderbilt. The skyscraper will achieve the highest levels of LEED and WELL certifications and is projected to have one of the lowest carbon footprints in New York City.”
“Pursuing a LEED certification is more than implementing sustainable practices. It represents a commitment to making the world a better place and influencing others to do better. Given the extraordinary importance of climate protection and the central role of the building industry in that effort, SL Green demonstrates their leadership through achieving LEED EB certifications across nine Manhattan buildings simultaneously,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, President and CEO, U.S. Green Building Council.
SIG led this complex process using its LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED EB) Volume Program. SIG designed its LEED Volume Approach with the help of the USGBC. The program was approved based on SIG’s level of experience, competency, and consistency with LEED certifications.
LEED Volume allows for quicker turn-around on the LEED certifications because SIG’s process is pre-approved, and it also allows for reduced USGBC fees because there is a “volume” of buildings going through the certification process. Typically, one LEED for Existing Buildings project can take well over a year to earn its certification, yet SIG was able to certify SL Green’s nine buildings simultaneously much faster. Not only did SIG assist in streamlining the process, but the outcome was extremely effective as 8 of the 9 buildings achieved LEED Gold certification with the other earning LEED Silver certification. SIG also provided in-house energy audits, retro-commissioning, and air testing at the buildings.
Through the collaboration between SIG and SL Green during the LEED Volume process, SL Green’s nine buildings saved an average of 697,708 kwh/year and reduced their water consumption by 24%/year yielding a significant positive impact on the environment. “It is quite the undertaking to achieve an initial LEED EB certification, but SL Green understands the benefits and decided to go all-in on LEED for the portfolio,” said Charlie Cichetti, CEO + Co-Founder of SIG.
Below are some of the sustainability highlights for all nine LEED Volume buildings:
About SL Green: SL Green Realty Corp., an S&P 500 company and New York City’s largest office landlord, is a fully integrated real estate investment trust, or REIT, that is focused primarily on acquiring, managing, and maximizing the value of Manhattan commercial properties. Learn more about SL Green here www.slgreen.com.
About SIG: Sustainable Investment Group LLC (SIG) delivers sustainability services and education to the green building industry. SIG’s team includes design, construction, property management, and real estate professionals. It provides LEED/WELL consulting, LEED/WELL training, and Technical Services from its offices in Atlanta, GA; Boulder, CO; Minneapolis, MN; New York, NY; and San Francisco, CA. Learn more here www.SIGearth.com/leed-volume.