PASADENA, Calif. - Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc. announced that it has been granted Silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council for its build-to-suit property for an industry-leading biotechnology company, located at 681 Gateway, South San Francisco, Calif. This is one of the first office/laboratory spaces in the U.S. to have been certified in the LEED Core and Shell pilot program and the only Core and Shell office/laboratory project to be LEED Silver certified in the state of California.

LEED is a nationally recognized benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. Core and Shell encompasses base building elements such as structure, envelope, and the HVAC system.

“Recognizing that the trend in real estate is green, in developing the site at 681 Gateway, we set out to create state-of-the-art office/laboratory shell that was highly efficient and environmentally beneficial. We are pleased that our efforts have been recognized by receiving a Silver LEED designation, the first in our niche and a high standard to have achieved,” said Joel S. Marcus, chief executive officer of Alexandria. “Incorporating environmental best practices into our building projects is an important way forward and we have established ourselves as a leader in creating energy efficient and sustainable office/laboratory space. Since our inception, Alexandria has pioneered the development of office/laboratory space for the life science sector and we are now pleased to be the pioneers of a green initiative in our niche.”

The 681 Gateway facility is a 127,000-square-foot building developed on a three-acre site in South San Francisco. The building is equipped with high-efficiency chillers and boilers, a non-chemical water treatment system for the cooling towers, and more than 16 percent of the materials used incorporate recycled content. Among its energy achievements, the building exceeds California Title 24 by 28 percent and utilizes daylighting, spectrally selective glazing, motion sensors, and dimming controls. The non-chemical water treatment for the cooling towers could reduce make-up water by as much as 200,000 gallons per year, more than 10 percent of the building’s total water use. These energy efficient elements help to substantially lower tenant’s costs.

James H. Richardson, president of Alexandria, commented, “LEED certification is the highest recognized standard for evaluating green design and construction. As the premier international life science property specialist and the leader in developing green laboratory space with a proven capability in developing LEED-certified facilities, we will continue to meet the needs of life science companies who are more and more often seeking state-of-the-art office/laboratory spaces that are energy and environmentally efficient. We are committed to green initiatives and are proud to be leader in developing sustainable properties for the life science industry.”

Publication date:12/24/2007