At the end of last month (July 2009), Jones Lang LaSalle announced that it had surpassed its 2009 goal of employing 500 sustainability accredited professionals six months ahead of the stated goal. At the start of July 2009, the firm documented that 544 employees in 14 countries worldwide had attained the status of LEED Accredited Professional (AP) or equivalent designation, signifying advanced knowledge and expertise in green building practices.
As part of the Global Sustainability Commitment, Jones Lang LaSalle in April 2008 pledged to increase its sustainability accredited professionals—including LEED, BREEAM, IEMA, NABERS Energy (formerly ABGR), and Green Star—to 200 in 2008 and to 500 in 2009. The firm ended 2008 with 333 sustainability accredited professionals and added another 200-plus APs to its ranks in the first six months of 2009.
“This was an ambitious goal, but we have a firm-wide determination to be the sustainability leader in the real estate industry and are very proud of all of our employees who have put the time and effort into earning this prestigious accreditation,” said Lauralee Martin, LEED AP, global chief operating and financial officer of Jones Lang LaSalle. “The future of commercial real estate is in sustainable buildings, and LEED accreditation reinforces our commitment to being the energy and sustainability leader in the real estate sector.”
“We recognized the importance of green buildings early on, completing our first LEED certified project in 2003, and have continually led the industry in terms of the number of accredited individuals and certified buildings, as well as innovative approaches to sustainability,” said Dan Probst, chairman of energy and sustainability services at Jones Lang LaSalle. “More and more people each day are adopting the message we have emphasized from the start: Sustainable buildings make good business sense in addition to being environmentally responsible.”
Jones Lang LaSalle has sustainability accredited APs in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, Poland, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, the UK, and the U.S.
In keeping with its integrated approach to service delivery and firmwide commitment to sustainability, the company employs APs in a wide range of business units, including: project and development services property and facility management; construction; energy and sustainability services; retail property management; tenant representation; investment management; agency leasing, strategic consulting; and public institutions, as well as infrastructure groups such as finance and marketing.
Properties certified with Jones Lang LaSalle’s assistance include office buildings, R&D buildings, multi-family, educational institutions, corporate headquarters, bank branches, and commercial interiors.
The firm’s experience in LEED New Construction (NC), Commercial Interiors (CI) Existing Buildings – Operations & Management (EB-OM), and Core & Shell (CS) certification ensures that its professional staff can assist owners and occupiers in all phases of building development and operations.
Jones Lang LaSalle has assisted clients in managing and gaining certification on 28 LEED properties to date, more than any other real estate services firm. In addition, Jones Lang LaSalle has played a major role in high,profile projects such as:
- Two of the first three projects to gain Platinum certification under the newly instituted Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance standard
- The first multi-tenant office building to gain LEED Platinum certification under any Existing Building standard
- The first LEED Platinum high-rise office building in the U.S.
- The first LEED certified project in Mexico
- The first LEED Platinum certified retail bank branch
- LEED Platinum certification for McDonald’s Corporation’s headquarters campus in Oakbrook, IL
- LEED certification for existing multi-tenant office buildings in Manhattan, Boston, Denver, Chicago and the Washington, D.C. area
In April, the firm announced it would spearhead an initiative to gain LEED Gold certification at the Empire State Building in New York.
LEED Professional Accreditation distinguishes building professionals with the knowledge and skills to successfully steward the LEED certification process. LEED Accredited Professionals (LEED APs) have demonstrated a thorough understanding of green building practices and principles and the LEED Rating System. More than 75,000 people have earned the credential since the Professional Accreditation program was launched in 2001.
In the U.S., Jones Lang LaSalle currently has 280 buildings, or 85% of its U.S. multi-tenant portfolio, enrolled in the Energy Star program, and has achieved an average Energy Star score of 68, 18 points better than the average building score of 50. Energy Star is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s widely recognized program for benchmarking energy performance in buildings.
