Lenkin and Tower Companies Announce AIAM, Statoil and Fortune Brands, Inc. Sign Leases @ LEED Gold 1050 K Street

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Lenkin Company and The Tower Companies announced today that http://www.aiam.org/The Association of International Automobile Manufacturers, Inc. (AIAM), Statoil and Fortune Brands, Inc., have signed leases at 1050 K Street, a 136,000 square feet, U.S. Green Building Council LEED® Gold certified commercial and retail office building, winner of the 2010 NAIOP Award of Excellence and home to other top companies such as Knoll Furniture, AOL, Glaxo Smith Kline, Philips Electronics, Shell Oil and others. The 11-story jewel-box design by Hickok Cole is located in the heart of downtown Washington and incorporates the natural elements of air, water, earth and light with state of the art features.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20101005/DC76333)

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101005/DC76333)

The Association of International Automobile Manufacturers, Inc. (AIAM), which represents international motor vehicle manufacturers, original equipment suppliers and other automotive related trade associations, signed a 7,400 square foot, 12-year lease, commencing January 1, 2011.

Statoil [OSE:STL, NYSE:STO], an international energy company with activities in over 40 countries, has signed a 4,500 square foot, 10-year lease, to house their US Government Affairs office in Washington, DC, to commence December 15, 2010.

Fortune Brands, Inc. [NYSE: FO], the company behind leading consumer brands including Jim Beam, Titleist and Moen, and headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, has signed a 2,826 square foot, 10-year lease for its Washington Office, commencing December 1, 2010.

Brian Cornrich of Jones Lang LaSalle represented AIAM, Chau Leung of CB Richard Ellis represented Statoil; John Kerr of CB Richard Ellis represented Fortune Brands, Inc.

Randy Harrell, CB Richard Ellis Executive Vice President, represented the owners on all three deals.

About 1050 K Street

1050 K Street, conveniently located near public transportation and the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, was previously a paved parking lot which was replaced with a building capable of retaining its own storm water and that of its site while using the storm water for irrigation of the street planters and the green roof. The collected storm water is distributed on the site by means of a bio-retention system. The building features the latest green technology, efficient water use, fresh indoor air, 100% wind power, and maximized use of daylight. The building reduces tenants' carbon footprint, is 26% more energy efficient than ASHRAE 90.1 standards, saves 2 million of water yearly, removes 85% of airborne pollutants, and replaces 100% of the air every 51 minutes. The design incorporates a heat recovery wheel, which captures embodied energy in the exhaust air, which would normally be wasted, and allows it to be used to pretreat the incoming supply air. The skin of the building contains a blue glass with high shading coefficient that gives the building a unique character and differentiates itself from the other transparent glass buildings in the area. The glazed curtainwall and hi-tech glass system assures thermal comfort. Over 67% of the building's materials are sourced locally.

About The Association of International Automobile Manufacturers, Inc. (AIAM)

AIAM is a trade association representing 15 international motor vehicle manufacturers who account for over 40 percent of all passenger cars and light trucks sold annually in the United States. AIAM provides members with information, analysis and advocacy on a wide variety of legislative and regulatory issues impacting the auto sector. The Association is dedicated to the promotion of free trade and to policies that enhance motor vehicle safety and the protection of the environment.

About Statoil

Statoil is committed to accommodating the world's energy needs in a responsible manner, applying technology and creating innovative business solutions. They are headquartered in Norway with over 30,000 employees worldwide, and are listed on the New York and Oslo stock exchanges. Statoil's US Government Affairs office in Washington, DC is their main liaison with federal authorities in the United States. The office is responsible for building knowledge and awareness about Statoil among US decision makers, and to keep appropriate authorities informed on relevant aspects of their operations in the US and internationally. The office provides information and advice on processes and decisions in the United States that may affect Statoil's strategies, activities and plans.

About Fortune Brands, Inc.

Fortune Brands, Inc. is a leading consumer brands company. Its operating companies have premier brands and leading market positions in distilled spirits, home and security, and golf products. Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. is the company's premium spirits business. Major spirits brands include Jim Beam and Maker's Mark bourbon, Sauza tequila, Canadian Club whisky, Courvoisier cognac, Cruzan rum, Teacher's and Laphroaig Scotch, EFFEN vodka and DeKuyper cordials. The brands of Fortune Brands Home & Security LLC include Moen faucets, Aristokraft, Omega, Diamond and Kitchen Craft cabinetry, Therma-Tru door systems, Simonton windows, Master Lock security products and Waterloo storage and organization products. Acushnet Company's golf brands include Titleist and FootJoy. Fortune Brands, headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol FO and is included in the S&P 500 Index and the MSCI World Index.

About The Lenkin Company

Founded in the 1930's, The Lenkin Company is a full-service management and construction firm that has developed and built over 4.5 million square feet of commercial properties and approximately 2,200 apartment units in The Greater Washington Metropolitan area. 1050 K Street is their first USGBC LEED® Gold certified construction.

About The Tower Companies

The Tower Companies is a three-generation, award winning real estate Development Company founded in 1947 and headquartered in Rockville, MD., recently named by Multi Housing News "2010 Awards of Excellence Development Company of the Year," for their corporate green initiatives and outreach. Tower is EPA certified carbon-neutral and a member of their 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 projects and another 2.5 million square feet are in the planning stages. They are the area's leading regional builder of USGBC LEED projects, i.e.: 2000 Tower Oaks Boulevard, first LEED Platinum certified multi-tenant commercial office building and world's largest application of Vedic architectural design principals, The Tower Building, ENERGY STAR and LEED Silver, and named 2003 Green Office Building of the Year by the Apartment and Office Building Association (AOBA), 1909 K Street/Millennium Building, first commercial multi-tenant LEED EB certified and first green office building in DC, Blair Towns, nationally recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council as America's first LEED-certified multifamily rental housing community in the U.S. In 2009, The Tower Companies began one of the largest LEED renovations in the U.S. at The Blairs, 1,400 apartment units on a 27-acre live-work-play complex in Maryland.

SOURCE The Tower Companies