Seattle Office Building Goes LEED Platinum

By Keith Loria, Contributing Editor

Fourth & Madison, Seattle

Seattle—Fourth & Madison, a 40-story Seattle office building developed by Hines and sold to the Teacher’s Insurance and Annuity Association of America in 2005, has received Platinum certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system for Existing Buildings.

“We are committed to protecting and preserving our environment,” Gary Holtzer, Hines global sustainability officer, told Commercial Property Executive. “The property management team at Fourth & Madison regularly offers green initiatives in order to contribute to conservation. This certification is a crowning achievement of these continued efforts by the property’s ownership and management.”

The 845,533-square-foot building is located in Seattle’s Central Business District, and Hines has been responsible for managing and leasing the building since it first opened in 2003.

“TIAA, the owner for Fourth & Madison, has been a strong supporter of sustainable practices over the years, including LEED designations,” Holtzer said. “This achievement also supports Hines’ efforts to be the industry leader in sustainability, as evidenced by the firm’s guiding principles.”

The Platinum LEED rating is based on green features and sustainable programs that include monthly landfill diversion of 78 percent through composting and recycling, supporting a home e-recycling program, partnering with general contractors to maximize trash diversion during tenant improvement construction; and a whole building relamp project that saves approximately 811,295 kwh each year.

Additionally, the building was installed with native and adaptive plants for water saving landscaping; offered strong support for alternative commute modes with subsidized commuter passes, Zip-Cars, carpool and vanpool reduced parking rates; and added multiple bike racks and lockers resulting in 84 percent of building occupants utilizing alternative modes of transportation.

“Fourth & Madison is located in the heart of Seattle’s central business district, so it’s close to a variety of amenities for tenants,” Kathy O’Kelley, Hines vice president of property management, told CPE. “Besides the convenient location, tenants and visitors alike can visit the 7th Floor Roof Deck, a lush, green retreat from the city below, which provides views south to Mount Rainier and west to Elliott Bay and the Olympic Mountains.”

This is not the first sustainability milestone for the building. Fourth & Madison has earned the ENERGY STAR label every year since 2004. In fact, with a current score of 93, the building is 46 percent more energy efficient and saves more than $1 million in annual energy costs when compared to the average U.S. office building.

Hines currently manages 181 labeled buildings, representing more than 77 million square feet, in the ENERGY STAR program.