Case Studies

Written by R. Kirk Johnson, AIA, LEED AP

 

LEED SILVER CERTIFICATION

MacArthur Plaza, a nine-story, 185,000 square foot office building located at 5525 N. MacArthur Boulevard in Irving, Texas, was recently awarded USGBC LEED® Silver Certification in compliance with the LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (LEED EB – O&M) Rating System.  MacArthur Plaza, originally built in 1983 and renovated in both 2004 and 2007, is the first high-rise, multi-tenant office building in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and the second in Texas to receive LEED Silver certification under the LEED EB: O&M program.

The building averages approximately 21,500 square feet per floor of office space and has a delicatessen on the first floor of the facility.  In addition to the building area, approximately 165,258 square feet of parking area is provided in the facility site through a combination of surface and garage parking, providing an overall three per thousand square feet parking ratio.  Covered parking is provided at a one to 1,800 square foot ratio.  The building was also awarded the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR® building label in 2001, 2003, 2007 and 2008.  Currently, the building is 93% occupied.

The property is owned by a partnership controlled by Falcon Southwest, a real estate investor headquartered in Austin, Texas, and managed by Transwestern, one of the largest privately held commercial real estate and development firms in the United States.  Both Falcon Southwest and Transwestern are committed to sustainable practices and to create value through operational excellence.  Currently, Transwestern is seeking LEED certification in over 13 million square feet of new and existing commercial space.

 

 

GREEN STRATEGIES

To earn the certification, MacArthur Plaza implemented a number of green strategies encompassing energy improvements, utility sub-metering additions, increased water efficiency upgrades, sustainable purchasing programs, indoor air quality advancements, major recycling program, green cleaning operations, environmentally friendly pest control, green landscaping procedures, and other similar green operation procedures.

A considerable percentage of MacArthur Plaza’s LEED certification points were obtained from incorporating building energy improvements as determined by the Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager Assessment score.  The building, when benchmarked with other buildings throughout the United States and adapted to the local climatic area, achieved an exemplary Energy Star rating of 87, indicating the building performs better than 87% of similar office buildings.  These developmental improvements provided additional energy efficiency savings for the facility.  According to the Falcon Southwest, “the building currently boasts lower energy costs that are well below the historic industry norms for office buildings located in the Metroplex area.  The LEED certification gives us a competitive advantage in the leasing market.”

During the performance period, the project team implemented indoor air quality best management practices.  Outdoor air ventilation rates were increased at all mechanical system air handling units by thirty percent above the minimum requirement of ASHRAE 62.1-2007.  An occupant survey used to determine user thermal comfort satisfaction and to provide recommendations for improvement was implemented during the performance period.    Exemplary performance was received for Facility Alterations and Additions with over 90% of the products purchased for tenant improvements meeting the LEED requirements.

The project implemented a sustainable purchasing program with over 95% sustainable purchases during the performance period.  A waste reduction and recycling program for consumables was incorporated into the project achieving more than 50% reduction of ongoing consumables that were reused, recycled or composted during the performance period.  An additional battery recycling policy was put in place with a target of diverting 80% of all discarded batteries.

A high performance cleaning program addressing items such as staffing, training, use of chemical concentrates, use of sustainable cleaning materials, and efficient sustainable cleaning equipment was provided in the project.  A custodial effectiveness audit, in accordance to the APPA Leadership in Educational Facilities “Custodial Staffing Guidelines” was performed by an independent third party audited company during the performance period.

The improvements to the facility are best summarized by the philosophy used during the certification process.  The owner stated, “We decided that embracing the changes to the building and the operations required under LEED was the right thing to do environmentally. As it turns out, LEED certification is becoming increasingly important to corporate America, so in addition to the environmental benefits of our certification, it will also give us a competitive advantage in the leasing market.”

 

BY THE NUMBERS

A brief overview of the achieved LEED credits utilized with the building certification is listed in the following table.

Sustainable Sites	2
Water Efficiency	5
Energy and Atmosphere	13
Materials and Resources	6
Indoor Environmental Quality	12
Innovation in Operations	5
Total	43

 

BY THE DETAILS

A detailed breakdown of the individual credits achieved with the LEED Silver certification of the Transwestern Building is listed below.

SUSTAINABLE SITES

• Building Exterior and Hardscape Management Plan
• Integrated Pest Management, Erosion Control, and Landscape Management Plan

WATER EFFICIENCY

• Water Performance Measurement - Whole Building Metering
• Water Performance Measurement – Submetering
• Additional Indoor Plumbing Fixture and Fitting Efficiency
• Cooling Tower Water Management - Chemical Management

ENERGY AND ATMOSPHERE

• Optimize Energy Efficiency Performance
• Refrigerant Management
• Emissions Reduction Reporting

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

• Sustainable Purchasing - Facility Alterations and Additions
• Sustainable Purchasing - Reduced Mercury in Lamps
• Solid Waste Management - Waste Stream Audit
• Solid Waste Management - Ongoing Consumables
• Solid Waste Management - Facility Alterations and Additions

INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

• IAQ Best Management Practices - IAQ Management Program
• IAQ Best Management Practices - Increased Ventilation
• Occupant Comfort - Occupant Survey
• Green Cleaning - High Performance Cleaning Program
• Green Cleaning - Custodial Effectiveness Assessment
• Green Cleaning - Sustainable Cleaning Products and Materials
• Green Cleaning - Sustainable Cleaning Equipment
• Green Cleaning - Entryway Systems
• Green Cleaning - Indoor Integrated Pest Management

INNOVATION AND OPERATION

• Exemplary performance. MR3  Facility Alterations and Additions.
• Exemplary performance. MR4 Sustainable Purchasing. Reduced Mercury in Lamps.
• LEED Accredited Professional
• Documenting Sustainable Building Cost Impacts