Class A office towers gain 1st LEED Platinum O+M in Orange Co.

Featured Image

by Brianna Crandall — June 24, 2015—South Coast Plaza – Office Division has earned the first two LEED Platinum commercial certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in Orange County at its Park Tower and Plaza Tower buildings. The buildings earned LEED Platinum, the highest Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) level attainable, in the Building Operations and Maintenance (O+M) category.

The South Coast Plaza – Office Division buildings were the first in California to be certified LEED Gold under LEED EB:O+M in 2009. When Park Tower, Plaza Tower, and Center Tower were up for recertification in 2014, the building management team knew they wanted to improve their buildings’ sustainability, while maintaining productive and healthy workplace environments for occupants and tenants.

South Coast Plaza – Office Division approached Healthy Buildings to manage the LEED recertification process. The buildings now boast a combined water reduction from a baseline of about 2.8 million gallons per year, and are projected to realize an 81 percent reduction in conventional commuting trips.

The buildings also sponsor the protection and restoration of 180,000 square feet of open habitat. In addition, both Park Tower and Plaza Tower implemented solutions such as adding toilet retrofits, using reclaimed water for landscaping, and offsetting 75 percent of energy use with renewable energy credits.

Healthy Buildings’ goal is to make buildings and the organizations that operate them more valuable. It does this by increasing buildings’ efficiency and savings through LEED programs and certifications, Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) assessments, and energy and water reviews.

More information on the South Coast Plaza – Office Division recertification project is available from the Healthy Buildings Web site. Cushman & Wakefield is handling the leasing for the properties.