AAAS Earns LEED® Platinum Certification

Posted by Heidi Schwartz

Akridge, a Washington, DC-based real estate investor, developer, and operator, announced that the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) property was recertified as a LEED® for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance Platinum building. The property, developed and managed by Akridge, originally earned LEED for Existing Buildings: O&M Gold certification on June 1, 2009, making it the first building in Washington, DC to do so. The AAAS building is one of only 11 buildings worldwide to achieve this designation.

In addition, the property, designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Associates, leverages multiple applications of innovative green technology. It is renowned for its use of light harvesting as one of the only buildings in the Washington area with light shelves that reflect natural light into perimeter offices.

Michele Good, Akridge’s Director of Sustainability, commented on the Platinum recertification of AAAS and the firm’s environmental agenda for 2014 stating, “We are thrilled to have partners like AAAS that recognize the value of sustainable building practices and share the belief that a green building is only as sustainable as its day to day operations.”

This recertification, and the increase from Gold to Platinum, is a validation of AAAS and Akridge’s long- term efforts to operate a building effectively and efficiently over the life of a building.