100 Cambridge St., the former Saltonstall building, has been awarded the LEED Silver certification under the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). The property earned its certification under the LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance Rating System with a goal of maximizing operational efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts.
"This LEED Silver certification shows that 100 Cambridge St. has come a long way from the time it was declared a sick building and closed in 1999," said MassDevelopment president and CEO Robert Culver. "MassDevelopment is committed to making green practices a priority in construction and renovation, and we're pleased USGBC has recognized our work at 100 Cambridge."
The facility, which MassDevelopment redeveloped into a mixed-use site that reopened in 2004, has been fully leased since 2007. The building is one of only 12 buildings in Boston to earn USGBC LEED for Existing Buildings certification.
"We thank our management professionals from CB Richard Ellis/New England, who provided the guidance necessary to bring this LEED certification process to fruition," said MassDevelopment executive vice president of real estate Richard Henderson.
In 1999, the Commonwealth of Mass. closed the Leverett A. Saltonstall state office building and selected MassDevelopment to redevelop the contaminated property, located on a windswept plaza at the corner of Cambridge and Bowdoin Sts. Rehabbed and rebranded "100 Cambridge St.," the 600,000 s/f property is a model for public-private partnership, and an example of mixed-use, transit-oriented development.
"With each new LEED-certified building, we get one step closer to USGBC's vision of a sustainable built environment within a generation," said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO & founding chair, U.S. Green Building Council. "As the newest member of the LEED family of green buildings, 100 Cambridge St. is an important addition to the growing strength of the green building movement."
LEED certification of 100 Cambridge St. was based on a number of green design and construction features that positively impact the project itself and the broader community. These features include new, water-efficient plumbing fixtures, enhanced single-stream recycling, lighting upgrades with sensors, and the introduction of USGBC policies for indoor air quality and "green" cleaning.
MassDevelopment, the state's finance and development authority, works with businesses, financial institutions, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth. During FY2010, MassDevelopment financed or managed 238 projects in 104 communities across the state generating investment of nearly $1.4 billion in the Massachusetts economy.