New Balance World Headquarters Earns LEED Platinum Certification
"We are extremely pleased to be able to call our new world headquarters a truly global leader in sustainability," said Rob DeMartini, New Balance's president and CEO.
The New Balance World Headquarters building in Boston has earned LEED Platinum certification under the U.S. Green Building Council's v2009 Core and Shell rating system, NB Development Group, LLC announced this month. The 250,000-suqare-foot headquarters is located at 100 Guest St. in the Allston-Brighton neighborhood and is the first U.S. building to achieve all possible credits in the Indoor Environmental Quality category under this rating system; just two other buildings in the world have achieved it, one each in Italy and Thailand.
"NB Development Group is proud, in conjunction with our project team partners Elkus Manfredi Architects, Transwestern, and John Moriarty Associates, to have delivered to New Balance Athletics, Inc. a world-class headquarters facility that has garnered this LEED Platinum Designation," said Jim Halliday, managing director of NB Development. "This designation is in keeping with not only the mission of New Balance but also, as the initial flagship project of Boston Landing, it highlights the spirit and energy we envision for this newly emerging district and ongoing commitment to our neighborhood."
NB Development's announcement said the building secured LEED Platinum certification because it has two green activities that achieved energy-efficient design, water use reduction, sustainable site selection and development, responsible materials selection and waste management, and enhanced indoor environmental quality. "Prioritizing the benefits of exceptional indoor environmental quality is exactly the kind of responsible leadership you'd expect from a company dedicated to health and performance," said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and founding chair of USGBC. "Improved comfort and well-being, enhanced productivity, decreased absenteeism, and improved valuation of the building are all aspects of green building that are on par with energy efficiency, water conservation, and waste reduction. Congratulations to New Balance for this significant achievement and for helping us move one step closer to sustainable buildings for everyone within this generation."
Rob DeMartini, New Balance's president and CEO, added, "We are extremely pleased to be able to call our new world headquarters a truly global leader in sustainability."
Project achievements include a 26 percent annual energy cost savings when compared to a code-compliant building, 35 percent reduction in water consumption of plumbing fixtures, 76 percent waste diverted during construction, 86 percent reduction in site runoff post-development compared to pre-development, 28 percent of material used in construction was derived from recycled content, 100 percent of wood used in construction was Forest Stewardship Council certified, and the building has a 30 percent higher ventilation rate compared to a code-compliant building. All Regional Priority and alll Innovation credits were achieved on the building; it groundbreaking occurred in August 2013 and it was completed in September 2015.