The Metropolitan Square office building located at 655 15th Street, NW, Washington, D.C., has earned LEED-EBOM Gold certification. Metropolitan Square Phase One was built in 1982 followed by Phase Two in 1985 and is managed by Boston Properties. It is jointly owned by Boston Properties and an institutional client advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management. Leonardo Academy provided support for LEED-EBOM implementation and certification application preparation.
This LEED-EBOM certification recognizes that Metropolitan Square has implemented continuous sustainability improvement measures. The facility used the rating system as a guide to maximize operational efficiency and minimize environmental impacts. Metropolitan Square implemented many sustainability actions to achieve Gold certification, including:
• Implemented water efficiency measures that are expected to reduce water consumption by 3 million gallons annually.
• Diverted 91 percent of the electronic equipment solid waste from the landfill as part of a comprehensive recycling program.
• Achieved an Energy Star Label with a rating of 86 out of a possible 100 points. Metropolitan Square has earned the Energy Star Label for the past four years.
• Documented annual emissions reduction of 17,350 tons of CO2 equivalents through Leonardo Academy’s Cleaner & Greener Program. This is the equivalent of removing 3,279 cars from the road annually.
• Documented a 78 percent reduction in conventional commuting trips.
• Developed multiple outreach efforts to educate and motivate building occupants to adopt sustainable practices.
• Metropolitan Square recycles approximately 60 percent of the daily ongoing waste stream.
“We are very proud to achieve LEED-EBOM Gold Certification for Metropolitan Square,” says Jeff Garner, director of engineering for Boston Properties, Washington, D.C., region. “This initial certification was an especially rewarding process for the entire Metropolitan Square property management team that ultimately made this effort a reality. Although we enjoyed a good start from our favorable sustainable site base and existing efficiency and conservation programs, actually obtaining certification required a tremendous amount of research, investigation, implementation, improvements and documentation, not to mention the commitment and support from our tenants. We are extremely pleased of what was accomplished and look forward to the continued privilege of operating the building as a LEED Gold facility.”
