GREEN OFFICE program nets 1.76 million in m² in first year

Hines, the international real estate firm, announced today that the Hines GREEN OFFICE® tenant program, launched on Earth Day in 2009, has grown to include more than 400 tenants, including Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Deloitte & Touche, GE Healthcare, JPMorgan Chase, KPMG, Shell, TIAA-CREF, Verizon and Wells Fargo, among others. Together these tenants occupy more than 19 million ft² (1.76 million m²), or twice the amount of existing office space in downtown San Diego.

Hines President and CEO Jeff Hines said, "While we have a good handle on how to design, build and operate buildings in a sustainable manner, the base building represents only a portion of an office building's energy profile. What happens in the tenant space can have a huge impact on expenses, the environment and employee productivity. Our GREEN OFFICE program offers tenants a way to enhance the management of their own space."

Originally designed to augment the sustainable features and operation of the space Hines itself occupies, the program was extended last year to Hines' office tenants, which occupy 120 million ft² in the United States, Mexico, Canada, Panama, Brazil, China and Russia.

GREEN OFFICE is promoted through a tenant guide, distributed by building managers, which encourages tenants to identify and implement no-cost and low-cost alternatives to operating in a standard indoor office environment. Scored on a scale of 100, offices are evaluated in seven categories: Energy Efficiency, People & Atmosphere; Travel & Commuting; Reduce, Reuse & Recycle; Cleaning; Remodeling & Construction; and LEED. When a specific strategy or improvement has been implemented, participating tenants earn "Leaf Credits." If an office achieves 70 Leaf Credits, it is then designated as a GREEN OFFICE.

Rowan Companies' Health, Safety and Environmental Affairs Director Tyler Kerps said, "The GREEN OFFICE program helped us find practical ways to improve our operations and further engage our employees. Plus, when visitors come to our office and see the GREEN OFFICE crystal on our lobby desk, they ask questions, giving us an opportunity to engage them on a topic that is important to us."

In 2010 Hines was recognized by the EPA, for the third time, with the ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award; Hines has labeled more than 147 buildings, representing approximately 75 million ft², through the ENERGY STAR program. Twelve Hines development or redevelopment projects, representing more than six million ft², have been designated as Designed to the Earn the ENERGY STAR.

Hines is also a leader in the U.S. Green Building Council's programs, with 192 projects, representing more than 100 million ft² 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, is a member of the Brazilian Green Building Council, the Indian Green Building Council and the Italian Green Building Council, and is active in the BRE Environmental Assessment Method program in the United Kingdom and the Haute Qualité Environnementale program in France.

Source: Hines

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