(SEATTLE, WA) – The Seattle office of Hines, the international real estate firm, announced today that 5th & Bell has received Gold certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® rating system for Existing Buildings.
The 197,135-square-foot, six-story office building is located in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle’s north Central Business District.
Designed by CollinsWoerman and completed in 2002, 5th & Bell was acquired by Hines REIT in 2007.
5th & Bell has earned the ENERGY STAR® label every year since its acquisition.
With a current rating of 99, the building is in the top two percent of buildings nationwide in terms of energy efficiency.
This equates to $1.14 in energy savings per square foot when compared to the average U.S. office building.
Andy Albrecht, Hines’ asset manager for the project, said, “LEED Gold certification for 5th & Bell validates Hines’ ability to provide our tenants with a best-in-class asset that operates with the utmost efficiency, thereby offering maximum value as well as a productive work environment for their employees.”
Green features implemented at 5th & Bell include: utilization of environmentally sensitive cleaning products and practices; an innovative tenant education program; reduced nighttime light pollution; over 30 percent reduction in indoor potable water use through low-flow fixtures; energy efficient lighting with reduced mercury content; a comprehensive waste stream management program resulting in a diversion rate of over 82 percent; alternative transportation methods which are used by over 50 percent of building occupants; and 100 percent participation in the Hines GREEN OFFICE for Tenants program, which promotes sustainability in tenant spaces.
Additionally, the building earned the BOMA 360 Performance Program designation in 2010.
Hines General Property Manager Shane Fentress said, “Achieving LEED Gold certification is icing on the cake for this project.
It is formal recognition of the long-standing and grass-roots level of commitment to sustainable practices by the building’s tenants, vendor partners and management team.
LEED Gold certification highlights the focus on a wide spectrum of criteria that contribute to the tenants’ experiences, not just on saving kilowatt hours.”
5th & Bell is leased to tenants including: Edelman Worldwide; Philips Electronics N.A.; and the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.
Hines manages the building and oversees leasing.
Hines is one of the most sustainable real estate companies in the world. In 2011 Hines was recognized by the EPA, for the fourth time, with the ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award; Hines manages 154 labeled buildings, representing more than 71 million square feet, in the ENERGY STAR program. Twelve Hines development or redevelopment projects, representing more than six million square feet, have been designated as Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR.
Hines is also a leader in the U.S. Green Building Council’s programs, with 205 projects, representing more than 106 million square feet that have been certified, pre-certified or registered under the various LEED rating systems. Hines was a founding member of the German Sustainable Building Council and the Russian Green Building Council, and is active in the Green Building Council Brasil, the Green Building Council España, the Green Building Council Italia, the Indian Green Building Council, the BRE Environmental Assessment Method program in the United Kingdom and the Haute Qualité Environnementale program in France.
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 1,126 properties representing more than 459 million square feet of office, residential, mixed-use, industrial, hotel, medical and sports facilities, as well as large, master-planned communities and land developments. With offices in 106 cities in 17 countries, and controlled assets valued at approximately $23.7 billion, Hines is one of the largest real estate organizations in the world. Visit www.hines.com for more information. To learn more about sustainability at Hines, visit www.hines.com/sustainability.