(BOSTON) - Equity Office, Boston’s largest commercial property owner, announced today that 222 Berkeley has received ‘LEED Gold certification for Existing Buildings (EB)’ by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).
Located in Boston’s Back Bay, 222 Berkeley is owned by Equity Office Properties and operated by Hines.
This recent recognition from the USGBC represents another significant milestone in 222 Berkeley’s 20-year history as a leader in sustainability. Since its completion in 1991, 222 Berkeley has been continuously retrofitted with the latest lighting, mechanical, building control system and water conservation technologies in order to achieve the optimum resource conservation performance. In 1999, 222 Berkeley was recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as the first commercial office building in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to earn the ENERGY STAR® label. The building maintains a current label with a rating of 91 out of a possible 100 points which places it in the nation’s top ten percent of office buildings in terms of energy performance.
“A LEED Gold certification is a tremendous validation of the energy saving and sustainable programs that benefit the tenants, ownership and environment alike. Our building manager, Hines
was committed to incorporating best practices for recycling, energy and water conservation, and green cleaning into standard operating practices,” said Tom Bakke, Managing Director, Equity Office Properties. “We believe this achievement is representative of our commitment to lead the industry in sustainable practices.”
“Achieving a LEED EB Gold designation almost entirely through the efforts of the onsite staff resulted in a deeper knowledge of what it takes to operate and maintain a LEED certified building.
This was an excellent cooperative effort between Equity Office and Hines to push forward sustainability goals,” said Hines Vice President Greg Brown.
Two Twenty Two Berkeley is comprised of 535,000 square feet of retail and office space and is located in the heart of Boston’s Back Bay. Tenants include Houghton Mifflin, Summit Partners, Liberty Mutual and Bank of New York Mellon.
About Equity Office
Equity Office owns and manages approximately 11 million square feet in greater Boston, including signature properties such as 222 Berkeley Street, 500 Boylston Street, 100 Summer Street and 60 State Street. Equity Office is the owner and operator of more than 59 million square feet in over 400 buildings through the US.
The company is an affiliate of The Blackstone Group, a premier global private equity firm. www.equityoffice.com