Dec 6 2012
Los Angeles-based developer The Ratkovich Company announced today two of its properties, The Alhambra, a premier 45-acre, mixed use property located in the City of Alhambra, and 5900 Wilshire, the iconic 31-story tower also known as the Variety building located in the Miracle Mile have earned LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certifications for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance.
These certifications are the latest evidence of The Ratkovich Company's continued commitment to providing sustainability and smart growth in the urban environment and demonstrates that older buildings can be as energy efficient, if not more so, than today's new construction.
The Ratkovich Company engaged San Francisco-based BuildingWise, a global leader in design, construction and operational upgrading of existing buildings for maximum efficiency, and worked within the United States Green Building Council's (USGBC) guidelines to help both properties achieve this certification. The Alhambra and 5900 Wilshire are well-known, prominent properties in the Los Angeles and national real estate communities and both are previous winners of the Building Owners and Managers Association's (BOMA) national "Outstanding Building of the Year" (TOBY) award.
The Alhambra had one of the most complicated LEED certifications to date due to its unique design as nearly one-third of the building space is underground. It is now one of only two LEED certified buildings in the City of Alhambra and the only building to achieve certification under the LEED-EB Operations and Maintenance v3 rating system. The property also achieved rarely attempted LEED certifications for its reduced water usage, high air quality levels and overall increased energy efficiency which reduces environmental impact and greenhouse gas emissions.
The Alhambra's LEED Gold certification is the culmination of a series of projects completed over the past couple years. These include the installation of five "Bloom Energy Servers" which has resulted in increased energy efficiency and reduced operating costs. The property also recently celebrated the completion of its three-acre water-efficiency and conservation landscaping project featuring drought-resistant, mostly California native plants which will reduce the landscape's water usage by 85 percent.
The Alhambra boasts an ENERGY STAR score of 93, meaning it is in the top eight percent of all U.S. buildings for energy efficiency. The property was also highlighted for its comprehensive indoor environmental quality program that includes hospital-grade air filtration.
5900 Wilshire has melded culture, energy efficiency and environmental stewardship to become the latest LEED Gold certified building under the LEED-EB Operations and Maintenance v3 rating system in Los Angeles. The property also achieved a rarely attempted LEED certification for its overall high air quality and reduction of water usage, and received the maximum number of LEED points available for water fixture efficiency. Its plumbing fixtures have helped conserve more than one million gallons of water each year. The property was also recognized for its outstanding waste management program, in which nearly 75 percent of its waste stream is diverted from landfills each year. 5900 Wilshire also received an ENERGY STAR score of 92, meaning it is in the top nine percent of the nation's most efficient buildings.
"Today is an extremely proud day for The Ratkovich Company in achieving LEED Gold certification at both The Alhambra and 5900 Wilshire and we're honored to celebrate this important milestone in developing sustainable projects in the urban environment," said Wayne Ratkovich, founder and president of The Ratkovich Company and former Chair of the ULI Smart Growth Conference. "While each property has its own unique attributes, we set out to revitalize The Alhambra and 5900 Wilshire, two historic properties with enormous potential, in distinctive ways that would provide both our tenants and the greater community with sustainable building design and operation to enjoy for years to come. We've also found a great partner in BuildingWise and would like to thank their team for helping us through the certification process."
Since acquiring and redeveloping The Alhambra in 1999 and 5900 Wilshire in 2005, The Ratkovich Company has demonstrated its ongoing commitment to providing its tenants and the local community with healthy, creative, environmentally conscious properties that tie into its mission to improve the overall quality of urban life. The Ratkovich Company will continue to show this commitment by pursuing future LEED certifications at other properties.
"The Alhambra and 5900 Wilshire, two iconic Los Angeles properties, different in style and description, show clearly what can be achieved by dedicated teams that support sustainable operations," said Barry Giles, Founder, BuildingWise. "BuildingWise offers our sincere congratulations to The Ratkovich Company and both building's teams and we look forward to a long-term collaboration."