Chandler, Ariz. (February 26, 2008)
Today at a special dedication, the Green Building Initiative formally recognized the Chandler Airport Commerce Center as the first building in Arizona to achieve a Green Globes rating. Green Globes is an environmental assessment and rating system designed to help facilitate energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly design.

On hand for the dedication were (left to right): Mark Rossolo, director, state and local outreach of the Green Building Initiative and Michael C. O'Conner, senior vice president, Irgens Development Partners, LLC AMO.

News

Contact: Mike Gehrig
(312) 988-2065
mgehrig@thegbi.org

GREEN BUILDING INITIATIVE™ RECOGNIZES CHANDLER AIRPORT COMMERCE CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
-- Non-Profit Credits Facility as Arizona’s First Green Globes™ Building --

CHANDLER, AZ. (February 26, 2008) — The Chandler Airport Commerce Center was recognized today by the Green Building Initiative (GBI) for achievements in sustainable design and construction, which were identified using the Green Globes environmental assessment and rating system for commercial buildings.

Mark Rossolo, GBI’s director of state and local outreach, presented Irgens Development Partners, LLC leaders with a plaque recognizing the building’s achievement during a special ceremony today. The Chandler Airport Commerce Center was recognized for, among other things, implementing the site design and enhancement measures to minimize the building's environmental impact, for undertaking strategies used to ensure that the building’s indoor environment is healthy and comfortable, and for the incorporation of an integrated design process, environmental purchasing, commissioning plan and an emergency response plan.

"One of the goals of high performance building is to combine the innovation of environmental design with functionality," said Rossolo. "Buildings like the Chandler Airport Commerce Center have achieved a balance between environmental considerations such as energy-efficiency and a healthier and more inviting workplace for employees. They also reinforce the fact that green building is appropriate and attainable for all types of structures."

Green Globes was adapted from a system that is widely used in Canada, where it is one of only two green building rating systems recognized by the Canadian federal government. Under the trade name Go Green Plus, it is also the basis of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Canada’s national energy and environmental program for existing buildings.

The Chandler Airport Commerce Center is an office /warehouse building, (known as a flex building) with an outside storage yard, 3,000 square feet of office suite space and more than 27,000 square feet of warehouse space.

"We pursued sustainable construction as part of our commitment to environmental responsibility,” said Michael O’Connor, senior vice president of Irgens Development Partners. “We chose to use the Green Globes system because of its ability to assist us in meeting our goals to reduce our impact on the environment and the surrounding community, and because it is user-friendly and affordable."

To achieve a Green Globes rating, the architecture firm Nagaki Design Associates used the Green Globes tool to assess and rate the building themselves. Later, a GBI authorized third-party building science expert was engaged to review the construction documents, conduct an on-site inspection and confirm the original rating. The building achieved the same Green Globes rating from both the building team and the third-party assessor.

The Chandler Airport Commerce Center is just one of many buildings that have achieved a Green Globes rating. Others include: the Clinton Library in Little Rock, Ark.; Blakely Hall in Issaquah, Wash.; the Pfizer Inc. Clinical Research Unit in New Haven, Conn.; the NewPage Corporate Headquarters in Dayton, Ohio, the RenewAire, LLC corporate headquarters in Madison, Wis.; and the Materials Recovery Facility in Summit County, Colo.

For more information on the available or upcoming GBI resources, visit www.thegbi.org.

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, please visit www.thegbi.org.