Historic Perry Brooks Tower Awarded LEED Platinum

By Anca Gagiuc

Perry Brooks Tower, the recently renovated Class A, 12-story building located in the heart of Austin’s CBD, was awarded the LEED Platinum certification. The award marks the first time in Austin’s history that an existing building has achieved the designation.

Built in the 1950s by Commodore Edgar H. Perry after World War II, the 134,638-square-foot building underwent a full-scale, modern renovation, without sacrificing the historical spirit of the original structure. The recent improvements include a new lobby finishes, urban fixtures in the common areas, a new contemporary metal shingle exterior, updates to elevator cab finishes, upgraded energy-efficient HVAC, floor-to-ceiling glass on the first, second, eleventh and twelfth floors and private restrooms for full-floor tenants. Clarion Partners also invested in recycling programs, air filter protocols, wastewater management and interior lighting. Furthermore, tenant companies that encourage alternative transportation added further credits to Clarion’s LEED scorecard, which totaled 81 out of 110 possible points.

Clarion Partners didn’t disclose the cost of the LEED Platinum achievement, but according to the Austin Business Journal the renovations came at a significant cost. The Perry Brooks team working toward the Platinum certification included Sustainable Investment Group, a national consulting firm with LEED expertise; Stream Realty, the property’s manager; and Transwestern, the property’s leasing agent.

Currently, the building is 97 percent occupied by Zilliant Inc., SpareFoot Inc., Playstudios Inc., Cratejoy Inc. and Grande Communication, among others.

Images courtesy of Structurainc.com