MINNEAPOLIS – Hines, the international real estate firm, announced today that Fifty South Sixth in Minneapolis has received Gold certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEEDfor Existing Buildings (EB) Rating System.
The 29-story, Class A office tower is located in the heart of the city’s Central Business District. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Fifty South Sixth contains 698,606 rentable square feet and was completed in 2001.
Green features implemented at Fifty South Sixth include: energy efficient lighting with reduced mercury content; the use of environmentally sensitive cleaning products and practices; reduction of indoor potable water use through low-flow fixtures; and a comprehensive recycling program. Additionally, Hines offers its proprietary GREEN OFFICE for Tenants program, which assists in giving tenants options to reduce their carbon footprint.
In addition to earning LEED Gold, Fifty South Sixth has earned the ENERGY STAR® label every year since 2002.
“Fifty South Sixth achieving LEED Gold demonstrates our commitment to the environment, our tenants and the community. Energy savings, equipment efficiencies, water conservation and recycling programs directly benefit the tenants in terms of lower operating costs,”said Hines Managing Director Steve Luthman.
Hines Global Sustainability Officer Gary Holtzer added, “By achieving LEED certification at Fifty South Sixth, the local project team demonstrates to our owners, tenants, prospective tenants and the community that this property is being managed to the highest standards of excellence.”
The building’s tenants played an important role in achieving LEED Gold by participating in transportation and comfort surveys, tracking green purchases and increasing recycling efforts. The building is leased to a notable tenant roster including, among others: BMO Harris Bank; Deloitte; Dorsey & Whitney, LLP; Dunham Associates; and Wells Fargo.
Hines is one of the most sustainable real estate companies in the world. In 2013 Hines was recognized by the EPA, for the sixth time, with the ENERGY STAR®Sustained Excellence Award. In addition, Hines has received the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award three times. Hines manages 181 labelled buildings, representing more than 73 million square feet, in the ENERGY STAR program. Twelve Hines development or redevelopment projects, representing more than six million square feet, have been designated as Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR.
Hines is also a leader in the U.S. Green Building Council’s programs, with 199 projects, representing more than 101 million square feet that have been certified, pre-certified or registered under the various LEED rating systems. Hines was a founding member of the German Sustainable Building Council and the Russian Green Building Council, and is active in the Green Building Council Brasil, the Green Building Council España, the Green Building Council Italia, the Indian Green Building Council, the BRE Environmental Assessment Method program in the United Kingdom and the Haute Qualité Environnementale program in France. To learn more about sustainability at Hines, visit www.hines.com/sustainability.
Hines is a privately owned real estate firm involved in real estate investment, development and property management worldwide. The firm’s historical and current portfolio of projects that are underway, completed, acquired and managed for third parties includes 1,273 properties representing more than 514 million square feet of office, residential, mixed-use, industrial, hotel, medical and sports facilities, as well as large, master-planned communities and land developments. Currently, Hines manages 406 properties totaling 148.5 million square feet, which includes 78.3 million square feet for third parties. With offices in 113 cities in 18 countries, and controlled assets valued at approximately $24.3 billion, Hines is one of the largest real estate organizations in the world. Visit www.hines.comfor more information.