Nov 25 2009
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has awarded Bank of America Center, located at 700 Louisiana in Downtown Houston's theater district, its coveted LEED® for Existing Building, Operations and Maintenance Gold Certification.
Bank of America Center Houston
The LEED Green Building Rating System™ is a third-party certification program and the nationally recognized benchmark for design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. In awarding its Gold Certification, USGBC is verifying that Bank of America Center is being operated in a sustainable and environmentally sound manner.
"Buildings are a prime example of how human systems integrate with natural systems," said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, USGBC. "Houston's Bank of America Center efficiently uses our natural resources and makes an immediate, positive impact on our planet, which will tremendously benefit future generations to come."
Designed by renowned architect Phillip Johnson and partner John Burgee, the 56-floor 1.26 million-square foot landmark office tower is owned by a joint venture of M-M Properties and an affiliate of the General Electric Pension Trust, advised by GE Asset Management.
According to Ken Moczulski CEO of M-M Properties, "When we purchased the property in August 2007, we committed to investing the capital and doing everything necessary to operate the property in a most environmentally responsible manner. Thanks to the inherently energy efficient design of Bank of America Center, the great work of our management and engineering team, the expert assistance of Kirksey Architects and the enthusiastic participation of our tenants, our efforts have been validated by USGBC. We are thrilled to have received LEED Gold certification and will remain dedicated to the sustainable principles espoused by USGBC."
"GE Asset Management is fully supportive of the Bank of America team's efforts in obtaining this LEED Gold designation," stated Brad Barrett, managing director of GE Asset Management. "On a firm wide basis we are striving to become more energy efficient for both our tenants and for ourselves as an investor. This is beneficial to everyone's operations and bottom line. The market is educated on LEED and is starting to seek out these designated buildings. We congratulate M-M Properties and the Bank of America Center team.
Source: http://www.bankofamericacenterhouston.com/