According to Berndt Perl, principal of APF Properties (www.apfproperties.com), the Club Row Building at 28 West 44th St. in the Midtown area has become the third class B office property in NYC to achieve LEED-Existing Building (EB) Gold certification. The designation is the latest milestone in APF's ongoing campaign to achieve LEED and Energy Star compliance throughout its $900 million portfolio of commercial office buildings in N.Y., Philadelphia and Houston. The property at 28 West 44th St. is a 371,000 s/f office/retail building. Built in 1919, the 22-story tower with a block-through arcade of service shops for tenants, has undergone its transformation to an energy-efficient, thoroughly modern, amenity-rich environment since APF acquired the building in 2011.
"The LEED-EB Gold Certification at 28 West 44th St. demonstrates APF Properties' ongoing commitment to providing its tenants with a sustainable, modern and healthy environment in which to work," said John Fitzsimmons, VP/director of real estate operations at APF. "Our overall goal is to achieve Energy Star and LEED certification throughout our commercial office building portfolio in N.Y., Philadelphia and Houston."
LEED-EB Gold is a rating awarded to existing buildings for maximizing operational efficiency and minimizing environmental impacts. APF implemented many sustainability actions to achieve the certification including:
* Reduced water use by over 25% annually, saving over 536,800 gallons a year.
* Recycling over 79% of ongoing consumable waste.
* Recycling 100% of electronics waste.
* Achieving Energy Star Label and Energy Star scores of 86 and 83 in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
* Purchasing green power and carbon offsets from U.S.-generated wind energy and landfill gas capture projects representing over 50% of the property's two-year energy use.
In addition to the above, APF implemented a green cleaning, sustainable purchasing, waste reduction, water fixture upgrade and Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) control policies at 28 West 44th St. to become just the third LEED-EB Gold certified office building in the city. Overall, APF Properties spent about $1.5 million in building improvements that can directly or indirectly be linked to energy and water savings as well as other sustainable initiatives.
Prior to achieving the latest certification, APF Properties announced that they had cut water use nearly in half at another one of their New York City office buildings, the 132,000 square-foot tower at 286 Madison Avenue. The 48 percent decrease in water consumption at the property between 2006 and 2013 is due to a recently completed, multi-year capital improvement program that included the installation of waterless urinals, dual flush toilets and motion sensor sinks.
Prior to that, APF Properties achieved LEED Certification for Existing Buildings at 1601 Market Street, a 36-story,704,000 s/f class A office building in Philadelphia, just two years after APF acquired and upgraded the building in a multi-million dollar renovation. It was the first non-governmental building in Philadelphia to receive LEED certification for existing buildings, which demonstrates APF's leadership in that market. Between 2010 and 2013, 1601 Market Street reduced its energy use by more than 2.5 million Kilowatt hours per year, amounting to an 18 % reduction in energy use during that time period, a huge accomplishment for a building of that size.

"Sustainability is in our DNA as owners and managers," APF's Mr. Perl said. "We believe it is the right approach to take for the environment, as well as for the comfort of our tenants, and to preserve and enhance the long-term value of the portfolio. APF Properties has proven expertise in creating efficiency in older building stock and we are focused on executing plans to achieve a more sustainable portfolio."

LEED was developed to define and clarify the term "green building" by establishing a common standard of measurement — a benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance buildings. To earn LEED certification, a building must meet certain prerequisites and performance criteria within five key areas of environmental health: 1) sustainable site development, 2) water savings, 3) energy efficiency, 4) materials selection, and 5) indoor environmental quality. Projects are awarded Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum certification, depending on the number of credits achieved.

LEED-EB helps building owners and managers measure operations, improvements and maintenance of their facilities on a consistent scale. The certification can be applied to both existing buildings and to projects previously certified under LEED-NC or LEED-CS. The goal: to maximize operational efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts.

About APF Properties
APF Properties is a fully integrated real estate investment firm with a commercial portfolio valued at more than $900 million. The firm focuses exclusively on commercial office buildings in New York, Philadelphia and Houston. Founded in 1995 by Berndt Perl and Kenneth Aschendorf, APF Properties owns a two million square-foot office portfolio. Tags: