USGBC Awards LEED Double Platinum Certification to BASF North American Headquarters

BASF's North American headquarters building has officially become the fifth construction project in the United States and the first in New Jersey to achieve LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) double Platinum certification.

The 325,000 square foot building, developed in partnership with the Rockefeller Group Development Corporation at The Green at Florham Park, achieved LEED certification for Commercial Interiors (CI) and Core & Shell (CS) from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The facility, which officially opened in May 2012, features many BASF-enabled construction solutions and is one of New Jersey's largest sustainable projects.

"Our headquarters building demonstrates BASF's innovation power and its ability to drive sustainable solutions," said Hans Engel, Chairman and CEO of BASF Corporation.

Platinum certification is the highest achievement attainable through the LEED green building certification program, which encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices. A suite of rating systems is used to recognize projects that implement strategies for better environmental and health performance.

"Very few projects have earned multiple platinum certifications for one building. In fact, only three sites on the west coast and one in Michigan have achieved this so far. BASF's headquarters building in Florham Park is the first LEED double Platinum designated facility -- and the largest LEED Platinum corporate project -- in New Jersey," said Florence Block, Director of USGBC New Jersey. "BASF embraces sustainable development as a core strategic guideline because it balances economic growth, environmental protection and social responsibility. This is consistent with USGBC's mission: To transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life."

BASF's North American headquarters building uses 35 BASF-enabled construction solutions to achieve its high-performance sustainability profile:

indoor water usage has been reduced by 40 percent using low-flow toilets, lavatory faucets, and shower heads, waterless urinals, and a rainwater harvesting system that reduces the need for potable water;

• more than 40 percent of the site is open space;
• about 75 percent of the office and meeting spaces are day lit and 90 percent have an outdoor view;
• more than 20 percent of the materials purchased for the project had recycled content; and,
• approximately 75 percent of the construction waste was diverted from landfills and incineration facilities.

Additionally, the base building was designed to exceed the industry standard for energy performance, ASHRAE Standard 90.1 2004, by 24.5 percent.

"Our new headquarters is a living demonstration of our innovations in sustainable construction and high-performance buildings," said Engel. "It stands as a tangible example of how BASF creates chemistry for a sustainable future while creating a healthy and safe work atmosphere where our employees can even better cooperate and collaborate."

The manner in which BASF and Rockefeller Group collaborated on the project exemplifies a key pillar of LEED Project Development known as Integrated Design. This is a process by which all the stakeholders of a project are brought together at the outset -- from the owner, developer, architects, engineers, contractors, building code officials, planning board members, etc. This process is designed to achieve a complete and efficient building that meets all stakeholders' expectations and goals.

"We thank the USGBC-New Jersey, BASF, and all of our partners on the construction and leasing of the project, for helping us create a state-of-the-art LEED Platinum building," said Kevin R. Hackett, President and CEO of The Rockefeller Group. "We're proud to embrace the new standards the USGBC and its New Jersey chapter helped set for the commercial real estate industry for sustainability and have made LEED certification an objective for our existing and new developments nationwide."

BASF Corporation and the Rockefeller Group received special recognition for their commitment to sustainability for BASF's North American headquarters at USGBC New Jersey's 10th Anniversary Gala & Awards Dinner on Oct. 11, 2012. Each year USGBC NJ recognizes and presents Gala Awards to companies and individuals who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in green building and sustainability. This year's keynote speaker was environmental business leader and advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Special guests included two-time Olympic gold medalist Carli Lloyd.