ATLANTA - Servidyne Inc., a building performance efficiency and real estate company, announced that it has successfully guided the historic Hurt Building in achieving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (LEED-EB: O&M) Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Hurt Building, an 18-story office building located in downtown Atlanta, is owned and managed by an affiliate of Harbor Group International (HGI). It is said to be the first commercial building in downtown Atlanta to achieve LEED-EB Gold Certification.

Servidyne was selected in 2008 to manage the building’s certification process and ensure that the operations and maintenance practices would meet the stringent LEED-EB: O&M Gold Certification standards. In this role, Servidyne developed sustainability policies for the facility, including standards for exterior building management, green cleaning, waste management, and sustainable purchasing practices.

To maximize the building’s sustainability and meet the certification requirements, Servidyne’s in-house team of LEED Accredited Professionals and professional engineers accomplished a number of projects in completing the assignment. For example, the team:

• Benchmarked energy performance and prepared the Energy Star label application.

• Performed American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Level I and Level II energy audits.

• Documented energy efficiency measures and greenhouse gas emission reductions.

• Developed a water efficiency upgrade strategy for the building’s plumbing fixtures.

• Inspected outside air ventilation and exhaust systems.

• Coordinated a waste stream audit.

• Audited vendor invoices to document sustainable purchases.

• Compiled and analyzed tenant comfort and transportation surveys.

• Assembled and coordinated the documentation submission to LEED.

“The Hurt Building was one of the very first skyscrapers ever built in Atlanta, and as such is an important historical icon for the city,” explained Alan R. Abrams, Servidyne’s chairman, president, and CEO. “Successfully achieving the LEED-EB Gold rating for this landmark building is a remarkable accomplishment for our company and for HGI, and represents a significant moment in our city’s history. This building is one of downtown Atlanta’s only remaining structures from the early twentieth century, and its classic architecture is truly breathtaking. For it now to be recognized as a model of environmental stewardship makes it all the more striking. I am particularly proud of the high level of expertise and support that our team was able to provide for such an important project.”

“We are pleased with Servidyne’s successful efforts in helping our building acquire such a prestigious distinction,” said Shannon Westberg, general manager of the Hurt Building. “The building performance solutions they provided us were truly top notch. Our hope is that the Hurt Building will be the first of many buildings in Atlanta to be certified as environmentally sustainable.”

For more information about Servidyne, visit www.servidyne.com.

Publication date: 09/21/2009