News

Contact: Sharene Rekow- GBI 503-546-2287 sharene@thegbi.org

IDS Center earns stellar three Green Globes® certification for achievements in green design and sustainable operations

Minneapolis, MN - June 21, 2011 – IDS Center, the iconic skyscraper owned by Inland American Real Estate Trust, Inc. and the centerpiece of downtown Minneapolis, has achieved another distinction – a three Green Globes Continual Improvement of Existing Buildings (CIEB) certification.

Green Globes, distributed by the Green Building Initiative, is an environmental assessment, rating and certification system. It is the only other nationally recognized program besides LEED. Green Globes (CIEB) delivers a comprehensive and practical means for evaluating and rating the environmental footprint and/or sustainability of commercial buildings. It provides building owners and property managers with convenient, practical, and effective feedback to review the overall environmental impact of the buildings they own and operate.

A third-party assessment is required for a building to receive a Green Globes rating and certification. This on-site walk through, interview with the facility manager and chief engineer and extensive document review provides a recognized means to address the increasingly important environmental concerns of owners, investors, customers, and residents/occupants. Buildings that successfully complete a third-party assessment are assigned a Green Globes rating of one to four globes. Medtronic, Inc., a leading international designer of cardiac and other medical products, is the only other Minnesota company to earn the three Green Globes certification.

According to Jim Durda, Vice President and General Manger of the IDS Center, “One of the reasons that we picked Green Globes over LEED was because of the onsite certification process. The IDS Center hosts more uncommon features than a traditional office building, for example, a sky high glass curtain wall, 14 miles of plumbing, 45,000 light fixtures, 1,200 VAV boxes and a canopy soaring up to eight stories with 400 skylights over its 24,000 square foot Crystal Court atrium. As a result, to reflect our progress we felt that it was imperative to meet and converse on-site with a Green Globes Assessor. This would not have been possible in the LEED program.”

Deb Kolar, Senior Property Manager for Inland American Office Management, LLC, further commented that achieving three Green Globes was equivalent to LEED gold status.

Green Globes rated/certified buildings are intended to: use less energy, conserve natural resources, and emit fewer pollutants in the form of greenhouse gases, airborne particulates, liquid effluents, and/or solid waste. In Canada, under the name BOMA BESt, BOMA Toronto sells the CIEB tool and certification services to its members and has been able to benchmark data which is outlined in their Energy and Environmental Report at www.bomabest.com. That data shows that operating and managing a building using CIEB recommendations results in 13% less energy intensity than an average commercial building, has a 17% higher waste diversion rate and uses 19% less water.

The IDS Center, once hailed by the New York Times as “one of the finest skyscrapers in any American city,” was completed by world renowned architect Phillip Johnson in 1972. Containing over two million square feet, IDS Center’s mixed use, post-modern design is comprised of a 57-story office tower with an eight story annex, two story retail center and 19-story, four diamond Marquette Hotel, surrounding the enclosed eight story Crystal Court.

“The IDS Center is a well-run building that has been emphasizing many sustainable features as a matter of normal operation for many years,” said Michael K. O’Brien, PE and GBI/Green Globes Assessor. “By certifying to a three Green Globes standard, the IDS Center has demonstrated leadership in an energy and environmentally efficient building along with a commitment to continual improvement.”

Green Globes has been written into legislative order as a recognized system to be used on public buildings by the state of Minnesota.

GREEN BUILDING INITIATIVE (GBI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission 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 for commercial construction. GBI is the exclusive U.S. licensee of Green Globes®, a revolutionary green building guidance and assessment program that offers an effective, practical and affordable way to advance the overall environmental performance and sustainability of commercial buildings. www.thegbi.org.

INLAND AMERICAN REAL ESTATE TRUST, INC. focuses on acquiring and developing a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate including retail, multi-family, industrial, lodging, office and student housing properties, located in the United States and Canada. The company also invests in joint ventures, development projects, real estate loans and marketable securities. As of September 30, 2010 Inland American owned, directly or indirectly through joint ventures in which it has a controlling interest, 981 properties, representing more than 48 million square feet of retail, industrial and office properties, 10,547 multi-family units and 15,384 lodging rooms. Inland American is one of five REITs that are, or have been, sponsored by affiliates of The Inland Real Estate Group of Companies, Inc. For further information regarding Inland American, please refer to the company website at www.inlandamerican.com.