PORTLAND, OR — Columbia Square, a 313,000-square-foot office building and flagship property in the Melvin Mark Companies real estate portfolio, has been awarded 4 Globes by the Green Building Initiative (GBI) for achievements in green design and sustainable operations. The building was rated under the Green Globes environmental design and assessment tool and the 4 Globes designation is the highest possible rating.
An award ceremony was held at Columbia Square on Thursday, July 2, featuring Oregon Congressman Greg Walden (R-02) and Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-03). Ward Hubbell, president, GBI, presented a plaque to Melvin Mark Companies’ CEO Jim Mark to recognize the building’s impressive environmental achievements.
“I am proud to recognize two Oregon-based organizations who are leading the way in green building,” says Congressman Walden. “The GBI and Melvin Mark further reinforce Oregon’s position as a leader in sustainability and green technology and their mutual commitment to improving our built environment should be commended.”
Columbia Square is the first existing building in the nation to be awarded the Green Globes prestigious 4 Globes rating and is the first existing building in Oregon to achieve a Green Globes certification at any level. Other notable buildings to receive a Green Globes rating are the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, AR, and the Whole Foods Market in Centennial, CO.
The Green Building Initiative, who own and operate Green Globes in the United States, is a national not-for-profit organization headquartered in Portland seeking to promote practical green building approaches. Green Globes is a leading environmental assessment tool for existing buildings in North America and is used by building owners because it offers an affordable and user-friendly approach to green building certification.
“The greening of our building stock is one of the biggest challenges we face in our efforts to curb global climate change, but it is also an area where we can make a significant impact,” says Congressman Blumenauer. “This building, and the work done by these two Oregon-based organizations, proves that our state is on the cutting edge in the areas of sustainability, energy efficiency, waste reduction and water conservation.”
“Investments in sustainable practices are good for the environment and a sound business strategy for building owners,” adds Mark. “They allow us to create high-performance work environments for tenants and help us manage our energy costs, which keeps our buildings profitable and competitive. Our building management teams look at every property in our portfolio for ways to improve energy efficiency, enhance indoor air quality and reduce waste. I am proud that our deep commitment to environmentally friendly practices is recognized by the Green Building Initiative.”
To earn the 4 Globes rating, Columbia Square received an overall score of 88 percent. The building was evaluated in six categories: energy, water, resources, emissions, indoor environment and environmental management systems. Some of the company’s most notable achievements at Columbia Square include a projected increased energy savings of up to 40 percent and a reduction in ozone-depleting refrigerants through the replacement of an existing chiller with a high-efficiency chiller. The building has also earned ENERGY STAR® certification, which means it is 31 percent more efficient than buildings of a similar size. A strong recycling program to reduce building waste allows tenants to recycle paper, metal, glass, food waste, e-waste, and construction waste.
“Melvin Mark’s Columbia Square building is an example of where we need to head as a building community,” says Hubbell. “Sustainable design for new construction is important, but we have to focus on actual building performance if we are going to reach our environmental goals. Using Green Globes they are able to easily benchmark and monitor a building’s environmental performance, ensuring that their goals of energy efficiency, water conservation and an improved indoor environment were realized.”
Green Globes is an innovative green building guidance and assessment program that was adapted from a system that is widely used in Canada. The Green Globes tool has been officially recognized by legislation or executive order in 19 states as well as by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education and the Department of the Interior. It is a user-friendly alternative to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) program, and can be implemented at a significantly lower cost on the part of the building owner.
To achieve a Green Globes rating, Melvin Mark Companies used Green Globes’ online and interactive format to monitor the environmentally friendly building upgrades. A GBI-authorized third-party building science expert was engaged to review the building documents, conduct an on-site inspection and assess an official Green Globes rating.
Columbia Square joins more than 70 buildings nationwide in achieving a Green Globes rating. Others organizations that use Green Globes include: Newell Rubbermaid, Whole Foods, Bristol-Myers Squibb, JPMorgan Chase, Arizona State University, University of Arkansas, Poudre County School district, Summit County Colorado, the General Services Administration, Department of State and Department of Veterans Affairs.
About Melvin Mark Companies
The Melvin Mark Companies have developed, owned and managed property in Portland since 1945. They currently own or manage more than 2.8 million square feet of commercial space in the metro area, and provide a full range of commercial real estate services for landlords and tenants. The companies include Melvin Mark Brokerage Company, Melvin Mark Development Company, Melvin Mark Properties and Melvin Mark Construction Company. Melvin Mark Brokerage Company is Oregon’s only member of The CORE Network, a global alliance of commercial real estate providers with affiliations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Asia and Europe.
About The Green Building Initiative
The mission of the Green Building Initiative is to accelerate the adoption of building practices that result in energy-efficient, healthier and environmentally sustainable buildings by promoting credible and practical green building approaches. A not-for-profit education initiative, the GBI is supported by a broad cross section of organizations and individuals with an interest in residential and commercial construction. For more information on the Green Building Initiative, visit www.thegbi.org.
