EPA Certifies Tower Companies' 1828 L, 1909 K and Tower Building ENERGY STAR®

ROCKVILLE, Md., Jan. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Tower Companies, Washington, DC's largest builder of USGBC LEED® Certified buildings, announced today that three of their existing buildings have been certified by EPA as ENERGY STAR buildings.

The Tower Building, LEED Silver certified for Existing Buildings, is a 265,000 SF, multi-tenant commercial office building completed ten years ago as the first new construction green building in the DC Metro region.  It received an Energy Star score of 90.  According to Tower's Chief Sustainability Officer, David Borchardt, two factors contributed to the high rating; their 134,000 SF GSA tenant, Health and Human Services already met the new GSA standards for Energy Conservation. Furthermore, Tower replaced all garage lighting, which must be on 24/7, with more efficient lighting, realizing an energy savings of nearly 35%.

1828 L Street, currently under review with USGBC for LEED Gold certification, is a 313,603 SF commercial office building built in 1968.  The Tower Companies recently installed the markets first next generation production version of the Daikin McQuay® Magnitude™ frictionless centrifugal chiller, contributing strongly to an ENERGY STAR score of 79.  Furthermore, 1828 L currently exceeds outside air requirements by at least 50%.

1909 K Street, LEED Certified under Existing Buildings, is a 236,000 SF commercial office building known as The Millennium Building for delivering DC's first green building through a renovation completed in 1999.  This building received a score of 77.  

The Tower Companies has recently committed to greening their entire portfolio of properties and is currently working towards LEED certifications on two downtown office buildings and three high-rise apartment buildings.  They currently have six LEED certified projects in their portfolio, in addition to one of the most comprehensive green leases in the country.  

Borchardt says that Tower continues to educate tenants and building employees about their greening initiatives to help everyone conserve energy.  Some of these efforts include:

• Tower is working with clients to create more energy efficient build outs, including lighting and temperature control of spaces.
• Tower has taken advantage of utility rebates and installed more energy efficient motor control devices, allowing heating and cooling systems to run more efficiently.
• Tower's Chief Engineer, Jim Lewis, continues to challenge himself and his staff to find ways to improve building operations without sacrificing client comfort.
• Tower is finding opportunities to turn off unused equipment and lights; replacing inefficient lighting when a fixture or bulb needs to be replaced.  

About The Tower Companies

The Tower Company is a closely held, award winning real estate Development Company founded in 1947, and recently named "2010 Awards of Excellence Development Company of the Year," by Multi Housing News for their corporate green initiatives and outreach.  Tower is EPA certified carbon-neutral and a member of Climate Leaders, ENERGY STAR and Green Power Partnership programs.  Tower has developed 4.5 million square feet of office buildings, office parks, 1,400 apartments, regional malls, residential communities, lifestyle centers, and hotels within the DC area. Of this total, one million square feet are sustainable buildings and another 2.5 million square feet are in the planning stages. For more information, please visit:  towercompanies.com

About The Tower Building

The Tower Building, designed by Kishimoto.Gordon.Dalaya.PC, is powered by 100% wind energy and was the first green office building in the Washington metropolitan area when construction started in 1999.  In 2003 it was awarded The Apartment and Office Building Association's prestigious "Green Office Building of the Year" award.  In 2009, The Tower Building achieved US Green Building Council LEED Silver certification. Rising 10-stories over a campus of lush woodlands and eco-sensitive planning, The Tower Building is the subject of Case Studies by the Urban Land Institute, US Environmental Protection Agency and US Department of Energy for its advanced sustainable features; years before the US Green Building Council (USGBC) established the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.  Amenities include health-food café, a state of the art fitness center, onsite parking, and bicycle storage, lockers, showers, a meditation/yoga room, and an ATM and beautiful art covers the walls; building grounds feature open fields, and tree-filled walking areas and biking trails.  Two bus routes pass by, which provide easy access to two metro train stations.

About 1828 L Street

1828 L Street, is  LEED EB certified 12-story, 313,603-square-foot office building, located in the Central Business District of Washington, DC, and home to Washingtonian Magazine.  Amenities include a 2,798 SF LEED Gold registered health and wellness fitness center for tenants of the newly eco-updated 1828 L and 1707 L Street.

About 1909 K Street/The Millennium

The building is a 236,000 SF, Energy Star® rated, high-performance LEED office building, located on the premier corner of DC's Golden Triangle Business District and within walking distance of the White House.  The building's sophisticated interiors features an elegant pear-wood paneled lobby, full service on-site concierge, gleaming marbled floors, original sculpture garden and arboretum, original art, beautiful music, individual meters on every floor, and a rooftop deck and garden, with breathtaking 360-degree views of the city.  Serving as an icon for green corporate values, 1909 K uses 100% wind power, is 16% more energy efficient than comparable class A's and uses 23% less water. With a 360-degree perimeter of low-e glass, thermal comfort is assured with a minimum of heat gain and loss. Green cleaning practices are used throughout the building.

The building has access to public transportation, and offers bicycle storage and changing rooms.  Other amenities include a state-of-the-art ROI Fitness and Wellness Center and 100% underground parking.  Teatro Goldoni, an authentic Venetian-inspired restaurant named one of Washington Magazine's "100 Very Best Restaurants" is conveniently located on the lobby level.  

CONTACT:  Elizabeth Oliver-Farrow, +1-202-494-1977

SOURCE The Tower Companies