ACC Construction received LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for the construction of the Toyota Motor North America's (TMA) new office at 601 Lexington Ave. The office occupies a full floor (49th), 30,500 s/f, at the Boston Properties-owned building. It is also the building's first LEED certified space.
ACC Construction's Michele Medaglia said that the project required diligence and meticulous attention to detail by her staff, and that it was a valuable experience. "Toyota is a gem in our portfolio," she said. "Attaining LEED Gold for the Toyota project is a highlight. We were passionate about attaining the highest possible LEED rating for our client, and this team achieved that."
Other members of the team on the project included Jones Lang LaSalle as project manager and LEED consultant, TSC Design as architects and interior designers, WB Engineers, and Meadows Office Furniture.

"Toyota has always been committed to reducing the environmental footprint of our operations, including the buildings we occupy. It's one of our core principles," said Barbara Jones, TMA's VP of administration. "We are proud of this LEED Gold certification and we commend the entire team involved in the planning, design and construction of our new office."
Toyota has a number of sites in the U.S. that are now LEED certified. Among these are TMA's Washington, DC office (LEED CI Silver), Toyota Technical Center in York Township, Michigan (LEED Gold) and Toyota Motor Sales' Torrance, California south campus building (LEED Gold). Several independent Toyota and Lexus dealers are also LEED certified, including Pat Lobb Toyota in McKinney, Texas, which was the nation's first LEED certified auto dealership.
Other members of the team on the TMA project included Jones Lang LaSalle as Project Manager and LEED consultant, TSC Design as architects and interior designers, WB Engineers, and Meadows Office Furniture.
Wendy Schwingel of PROPEL Real Estate Resources, who was Toyota's owner representative, said, "Clearly it took the efforts of many to get us to Gold status. The project team was committed and everyone deserves credit for their expertise."
Toyota's office received points on the LEED application for transportation access, (601 Lexington sits atop a subway stop where three lines converge) as well as for development density, energy efficiency, use of materials including recycled content and resource reuse, indoor air quality and innovation in design. In addition, the space is on an upper floor and receives a consistently generous amount of daylight. The building is also a class A office building. Boston Properties, JLL and WB Engineers worked closely to develop and install optimized HVAC and energy systems.
Bill Sotomayor, principal and owner of TSC Design, notes that his firm specified Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) wood panels and low volatile organic compound (VOC) materials including paints and coatings, adhesives and sealants, and carpet. Locally sourced materials, ceiling tiles and window shades, and rapidly renewable materials such as cork flooring were also specified. Repurposed and re-used furniture also helped to achieve LEED points, while the new systems furniture components from the Haworth Compose line met additional third-party verification for Greenguard Indoor Air Quality, MBDC Certification, and SCS Indoor Advantage.
As required by the USGBC, the construction was carefully documented to control construction debris and waste disposition, and to ensure that all the specified materials were responsibly sourced.
John McMahon, Boston Properties Property Manager of 601 Lexington Ave. said, "The LEED certification for the Toyota space is the one of the first tenant upgrades in sustainability at this location. We are encouraged to see the local trend moving in this direction and we support any work undertaken by tenants to improve the sustainability of their facilities." Tags: