March 26, 2004—The Mellon Client Service Center has been named “The Office Building of the Year” (TOBY) by the Middle Atlantic Region of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA). The award, which will be presented April 24 during BOMA’s Middle Atlantic Regional Conference in Uncasville, Conn., automatically qualifies the 14-story building for BOMA’s international competition, with winners announced in late June.
The TOBY Award, created in 1985, recognizes quality in office buildings and excellence in building management. Judging criteria involves evaluation of all facets of building operations, including preventive maintenance, energy management, emergency preparedness, security standards, tenant relations and community involvement.
The Mellon Client Service Center, which opened in 2000, was entered in the 500,000 to 1 million square feet category and was among nearly two dozen entries in the Middle Atlantic Region, comprised of 15 federations in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
According to McGuinn, Mellon chairman and chief executive officer, the building already has given Mellon the capability to enhance its productivity for clients. “By integrating operations into streamlined single-floor layouts, not only has customer service been improved, but processing capacities have increased by nearly 50 percent,” he said.
The building also has a number of environmentally progressive features, including:
- An energy-efficient glass system with a high-performance coating that achieves a high level of natural daylight, while minimizing summer heat gain and winter heat loss;
- Motion detectors to control lighting in areas of intermittent use, so these areas are only lit when occupied, again conserving energy;
- Assuring a high level of indoor air quality through the use of central fan stations that remove fine dust, pollens, smoke and even some bacteria before circulating air throughout the building. This results in increased occupant comfort, reduced maintenance costs and an even more efficient heating and cooling system; and
- A selection of building materials that focuses on recycled materials. For example, the roofing material, which has a life expectancy of three times that of standard roofing systems, is completely biodegradable and recyclable.
