Host Hotels developed an innovative strategy to integrate energy efficiency into the capital planning process that aligns with the ZOT approach. When evaluating the purchase of HVAC equipment, boilers, and other large-scale energy-consuming equipment, Host requires a return on investment that factors the energy savings compared with the incremental cost of more efficient alternative equipment […]
For the Kimco Real Estate Investment Trust, lighting is the number one driver of energy consumption and electricity expenses. With approximately 500 shopping centers, the most meaningful way to change the trajectory of energy consumption is through large-scale retrofits. After analyzing the market, Kimco decided to pursue a large, bulk-buy contract to reduce equipment costs, […]
While some REITs and large portfolio owners pursue a “bulk buy” of low-carbon technology to reduce materials and labor costs, others find that a portfolio-wide investment may reduce per-building administrative expenses even more. When pursuing its first energy storage project in 2016, Kilroy found that the new technology and new financing strategy required significant legal […]
Real estate developer Morgan Creek Ventures focuses on net-zero-energy design and other highlevel sustainability advancements in real estate development. To show how embodied carbon can be reduced for a potential project, Morgan Creek Ventures determined an over 40 percent reduction in embodied carbon by calculating the differences between a baseline building and a building with […]
The Nishi Building in Canberra, Australia, balances sustainability with human-focused design and provides another notable example of using low carbon materials in real estate development. A mixed-use development that includes 233,653 square feet of multifamily residential space and 524,442 square feet of commercial space, including office space, a hotel, retail, and a movie theater, the […]
Carbon12, from Kaiser Group and Path Architecture, was, at the time of its completion in 2018, the tallest cross-laminated timber (CLT) building in the United States. At 85 feet tall, the development in Portland, Oregon, is an eight-story multifamily residential building and pioneering CLT project. CLT is a very strong and lightweight timber structural material, […]
ABN AMRO Bank’s approximately 30,000-squarefoot Circl Pavilion in heart of the Zuidas business district of Amsterdam shows the potential for deep carbon reductions and the power of planning for a building’s entire life cycle. With the Dutch government announcing a national goal to transition to a 50 percent circular economy by 2030 and fully circular […]
In addition to tracking utility performance, each building at Boxer Property receives an annual inhouse ASHRAE-level audit (Level 1, 2, or 3) based on an energy checklist. The audit results are tracked over time through the in-house-developed Boxer Energy Sustainability Tracking (BEST) program, which compares a building’s efficiency to internal benchmark standards. The program gives […]
In January 2017, WashREIT commissioned an energy audit to review current equipment and operations at 1776 G Street, a 270,000 square foot Class B office building originally constructed in 1978. Recommendations from the audit included replacing common area lighting with LED bulbs, installing two VFDs, implementing a more efficient warm-up and cooldown process, reprogramming the […]
The Tower Companies (Tower) initiated real-time energy monitoring as part of an operational energy management strategy across their commercial portfolio in 2012, including at Blair Office Building, a multitenant Class B/C office building built in 1963. By focusing on operational changes for this program, there has been no need for construction, tenant disruption, or large […]
