SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Transamerica Pyramid, awarded LEED®-EB Gold status in 2009, has now achieved the highest level of certification with LEED-EB Platinum status.
A formal ceremony will be held Thursday, October 27 at 11:00 AM PST in the 505 Sansome Street Wintergarden lobby, adjacent to the Transamerica Pyramid, with Melanie Nutter, Director of the Department of the Environment for the City and County of San Francisco, along with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) presenting the achievement award to the team responsible for achieving this certification.
“Only a handful of buildings in the city have achieved the highest level of certification in environmental sustainability,” said California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, who was instrumental in developing legislation to improve energy and resource efficiency in San Francisco. “The Transamerica Pyramid has been an icon to the city since 1972, making this accomplishment all the more notable. The Transamerica Pyramid's LEED team is to be commended on their efforts, as they have set the standard of what's possible for commercial buildings in California and throughout the world.”
The property owner, Transamerica Pyramid Properties, LLC, and the building management team of Cushman & Wakefield, and BuildingWise, LLC, a LEED certification consultant, were able to achieve the Platinum certification through the following accomplishments:
- An impressive boost in the building’s Energy Star rating from a score of 77 in 2009 to the latest score of 98. This improvement places the building in the top two percent of energy-efficient buildings in the nation.
- An onsite Co-generation plant produces on average 70% of the building’s electricity and 100% of heating and domestic hot water needs, saving the Transamerica Pyramid an average of $700,000 a year in energy costs.
- The Transamerica Pyramid has reduced combined expenses for gas, electricity, and water by over $2.5M in the past four years.
- A waste diversion rate of 70 percent. Due to the successful recycling and compost program, the Transamerica Pyramid has reduced costs for waste collection by 73 percent in the past three years.
- The building’s unique pyramidal shape and light-colored façade have the same benefits as a cool roof with an SRI rating of 62. This reduces both building cooling loads and the urban heat island effect.
- The single occupancy vehicle rate is a mere 13 percent due to the use of alternative transportation (carpooling, walking, public transportation, and cycling) exceeding the goals set forth in LEED. To encourage the use of alternative forms of transportation, the building provides indoor bicycle storage and locker rooms with showers for tenant use.
- Tenant educational programs include an annual Health and Sustainability Fair, a Carbon Footprint contest, and free electronic recycling events.
“Congratulations for being one of the first buildings in San Francisco to benchmark and report energy use under the Existing Commercial Buildings Energy Performance Ordinance that I signed in February,” said San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee.