New Balance Headquarters Earns LEED Platinum Certification

By Anca Gagiuc, Associate Editor

New Balance Headquarters, Boston

Boston—The New Balance World Headquarters building located at 100 Guest St. in Boston’s Allston-Brighton neighborhood became the first facility in the U.S. to earn LEED Platinum certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s v2009 Core and Shell rating system. There are only two other buildings in the world that have achieved this; one in Italy and the other in Thailand.

“NB Development Group is proud, in conjunction with our project team partners, Elkus Manfredi Architects, Transwestern, and John Moriarty Associates, to have delivered to New Balance Athletics Inc. a world-class headquarters facility that has garnered this LEED Platinum Designation,” said Jim Halliday, managing director of NB Development. “This designation is in keeping with not only the mission of New Balance, but also as the initial flagship project of Boston Landing, it highlights the spirit and energy we envision for this newly emerging district and ongoing commitment to our neighborhood.”

The facility secured the LEED Platinum certification due to two green activities that achieved outcomes of energy efficient design, water use reduction, sustainable site selection and development, responsible materials selection and waste management, as well as enhanced indoor environmental quality.

“Prioritizing the benefits of exceptional indoor environmental quality is exactly the kind of responsible leadership you’d expect from a company dedicated to health and performance,” said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO & founding chair, USGBC. “Improved comfort and well-being, enhanced productivity, decreased absenteeism, and improved valuation of the building are all aspects of green building that are on par with energy efficiency, water conservation and waste reduction. Congratulations to New Balance for this significant achievement and for helping us move one step closer to sustainable buildings for everyone within this generation.”

“This certification exemplifies our strong commitment of responsible leadership to our company’s associates and consumers, our local community and the environment,” said Rob DeMartini, New Balance President & CEO. “We are extremely pleased to be able to call our new world headquarters a truly global leader in sustainability.”

Additional project achievements include: 26 percent annual energy cost savings when compared to a code-compliant building; 35 percent reduction in water consumption of plumbing fixtures when compared to a code-compliant building; 76 percent waste diversion during construction; 86 percent reduction in site runoff post-development when compared to pre-development; 28 percent of material used in construction derived from recycled content; 74 percent of material used in construction derived from a regional source; 100 percent of wood used in construction was Forest Stewardship Council certified; 30 percent higher ventilation rate when compared to a code-compliant building; all Regional Priority credits achieved; all Innovation credits achieved.

The New Balance World Headquarters held the ground breaking ceremony in August 2013 and the grand opening in September 2015. Elkus Manfredi Architects of Boston designed the project, John Moriarty Associates of Winchester, Mass. built it, and Transwestern’s Boston office is managing it.

Image courtesy of New Balance