WRIT Office Buildings in Quantico Achieve LEED for Existing Building Certification

Cassidy Turley, a leading commercial real estate services provider in the U.S., and Washington Real Estate Investment Trust (WRIT), a leading owner and operator of diversified properties in the Washington, DC region, announced today that two buildings owned by WRIT, 925 Corporate Drive and 1000 Corporate Drive, are the first to achieve LEED^® for Existing Building certification in Stafford County, VA. The Cassidy Turley Sustainability Services team led the effort.

925 Corporate Drive and 1000 Corporate Drive are each approximately 140,000 square foot office buildings located in Quantico, VA, and are the first two office buildings in Stafford County to achieve LEED for Existing Building Operations and Maintenance Silver certification. Both buildings achieved EPA’s ENERGY STAR Certification in 2012 and are the only office buildings in the county to hold this achievement.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). 925 Corporate Drive and 1000 Corporate Drive are WRIT’s third and fourth LEED EB Certifications. WRIT currently has five LEED EB certified buildings bringing their total square footage of LEED certified space over one million square feet.

“We are pleased to support WRIT’s goal to create a more sustainable and efficient workplace for the tenants at 925 Corporate Drive and 1000 Corporate Drive,” commented Nicole Snarski, Sustainability Project Manager with Cassidy Turley. “An engaged and devoted ownership combined with excited and motivated tenants allowed us to attain this first green building status in Stafford County.”

“The addition of 925 Corporate Drive and 1000 Corporate Drive as LEED Certified buildings reaffirms WRIT’s commitment to sustainable building management. As part of WRIT’s sustainability program, the company plans to continue to pursue LEED certifications within our existing portfolio,” said Brad Cederdahl, Senior Vice President, Property Operations of WRIT.

Cassidy Turley’s Sustainability Services team handled the day-to-day project management required to achieve the certification. The LEED EB certification of the buildings was based on modifications to the operations and maintenance procedures that positively impacted the building itself and the broader community. The focus of the efforts was on improving energy performance through the implementation of various energy conservation strategies, reducing the consumption of potable water, optimizing indoor environmental quality, improving sustainable landscaping and offsetting the buildings’ energy consumption with Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) generated by wind power.

WRIT is the only commercial real estate company to make the EPA top Renewable Energy purchaser list. In addition, WRIT has engaged Cassidy Turley to provide sustainability services and LEED project management for five additional buildings in the DC Metro area.