Liberty Property Trust today announced that it has received LEED Silver certification for its newly opened building at 4500 E. Cotton Center Blvd. in Phoenix. The 139,403 square foot Class A two-story office building was built in 2013 and is fully leased to Aetna.
“Liberty was eager to pursue LEED certification for 4500 E. Cotton Blvd., as the building was designed with a strong sustainable bent,” said John DiVall, senior vice president, Liberty Property Trust. “It has been a pleasure to collaborate with Aetna, which was committed from the start to providing its employees with a first-class building that supports their well-being, comfort and productivity – and to responsible environmental stewardship.”
Balmer Architecture Group served as the architect and Wespac Construction as the general contractor for the project.
LEED certification points were derived from nearly every aspect of the building. Nearly 80% of construction waste diverted from landfill and 13% of construction materials made from recycled content. Much of the material was sourced within 500 miles and 65% of wood used meets criteria of the Forest Stewardship Council.
The building features highly efficient interior and exterior lighting with low lighting power densities; highly efficient cooling and fan systems; and a building envelop that exhibits windows and insulation that minimizes solar heat.
“The value of these types of systems and designs cannot be understated,” said DiVall. “Our average tenant in a LEED or ENERGY STAR® certified building can expect to save 20-30% in energy costs over a traditional office building. Over the course of a lease, that is a very significant figure – one very attractive to many tenants.”
In addition, no CFC refrigerants were used in the building; all composite wood and agrifiber products contained no added urea formaldehyde resins; and 100% of paints, adhesives, sealants, primers, coatings, flooring systems, and carpeting products were specified to low-VOC. Cleaning products are specified as “green” as well.
Liberty Property Trust currently owns and manages 2.8 million square feet of space in Phoenix – including the LEED Gold and Energy Star certified 8501 East Raintree Drive office building – Scottsdale, Tempe, Goodyear and Tolleson. Some of its other holdings include Liberty Logistics Center, Liberty Cotton Center, Liberty 303 Business Park, Liberty Tolleson Center, Liberty Sky Harbor Center and Liberty Center at Rio Salado.
