With a latest LEED Silver certification under the belt, a Lincolnshire company is on its way to greening its office and industrial buildings in the area.
Headquartered in Lincolnshire, Van Vlissingen and Company, owns over five million square feet of buildings in surrounding communities like Vernon Hills and Buffalo Grove.
The 115,000 square-feet, five-story corporate office building at 300 Knightsbridge Parkway housing 25 tenants is the latest in the company to be awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
Van Vlissingen and Company President and CEO Chuck Lamphere said the tangible benefits of a LEED Silver certification included: “lower consumption rate of utilities, healthier work environment, pride of place and higher tenant satisfaction,” which all lead to better leasing.
The building qualified for the elite national building certification with its sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality, the company said.
Some of the features include: efficient plumbing fixtures that use 12 percent less water than the national standard, a low-impact hardscape and landscape maintenance program and a comprehensive lamp recycling program. A retrocommissioning and Level 1 Energy Audit is also expected to save an estimated 6,886 kWh of energy annually, according to Lamphere.
With an Energy Star score of 81, the building at 300 Knightsbridge ranks in the top 19th percentile of energy-efficient buildings in the country. The building also implemented a Healthy High Performing Green Cleaning Program that uses natural and less toxic cleaning products to reduce the exposure to potentially hazardous agents.
The commercial real estate development and management company was founded in 1879 and has been headquartered for most of its 137-year history in Lincolnshire, since 1983. It owns about 40 buildings, 30 of which are in Lake County.
More recently, the company’s 300 Tower Parkway in Lincolnshire and 101 Corporate Woods Parkway in Vernon Hills were LEED-certified.
“Buildings are a prime example of how human systems integrate with natural systems,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of the U.S. Green Building Council in a statement. “The 300 Knightsbridge Parkway building efficiently uses our natural resources and makes an immediate, positive impact on our planet, which will tremendously benefit future generations to come.”
Christine Won is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press
Twitter: @tinewon
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