PRESS RELEASES

Hines' 2211 Michelson is the First LEED-CS Certified Silver Multi-Tenant Office Building in California and on the West Coast

6/18/08

(IRVINE, CA) — The Irvine office of Hines, the international real estate firm, announced today that 2211 Michelson is the first building in California and on the West Coast to be certified for Silver status in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Core & Shell (LEED-CS) development program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the nation’s leading advocate of sustainable design.

The 12-story, 266,605-square-foot office tower is strategically located in the heart of the Irvine Business Complex, two blocks east of John Wayne Airport.

Hines West Region Partner Doug Holte said, “Hines has a global commitment to sustainable design and development, and our team is excited to incorporate this commitment into our flagship Orange County project. 2211 Michelson is an excellent example of a sustainable, high-performance, energy-efficient building that operates at a lower cost with less environmental impact over time, benefiting tenants, owners and the greater community. In a time of increased global awareness of sustainable design practices, the “green” message increasingly resonates with tenants and brokers in Orange County.”

Standout green design features qualifying the building for its Silver LEED-CS certification include: innovative wastewater and water conservation technologies; reduction in the use of electricity through highly efficient lighting and HVAC systems; low-emitting materials; 60 percent more glass than conventional office buildings providing maximum daylight within interior spaces; extensive gardens with 50 new trees; and landscaped outdoor workspaces.  

Designed by architect Paul Danna, a principal of DMJM Design, the building is sheathed in architectural white metal panels and high-performance silver vision glass. Notably, the property features four penthouse corner balconies and extensive decorative building-top night lighting. From the interior, rectangular floorplates provide efficient workspace layout, column-free interior space, and the most technologically advanced exterior glass on the market today. Each floor provides opportunities for eight corner offices (four of which are column free) due to the corner insets in the structure.

The development is anchored by Wachovia Bank and is now 55 percent leased to an array of national and international tenants. Its first dozen tenants include financial, investment, real estate, law and technology firms including recently signed deals with Fidelity Investments and the law firm Rus, Miliband & Smith.   

Hines entered the California market in San Francisco in the late 1970s and opened its Southern California office nearly two decades ago. More recently the firm opened offices in San Diego and Orange County to coincide with recent developments: PETCO Park in San Diego; 2211 Michelson, California Green and 2323 Main in Irvine; office building acquisitions in San Diego including Golden Eagle Plaza and Pacific Plaza; and the development of La Jolla Commons Office Tower, a 300,000-square-foot high-rise office tower, the first to break ground in San Diego’s University Town Center (UTC) submarket since 1989.

Hines is a privately owned real estate firm involved in real estate investment, development and property management worldwide. The firm’s  historical and current portfolio of projects that are underway, completed, acquired and managed for third parties includes more than 1,000 properties representing approximately 435 million square feet of office, residential, mixed-use, industrial, hotel, medical, retail and sports facilities, as well as large, master-planned communities and land developments. With offices in 69 U.S. cities and 15 foreign countries, and controlled assets valued at approximately $22.9 billion, Hines is one of the largest real estate organizations in the world. Visit www.hines.com for more information.