Washington, DC, January 24, 2013 – The Metropolitan Square office building located at 655 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC, has earned LEED-EB Gold Certification.  Metropolitan Square Phase One was built in 1982 followed by Phase Two in 1985 and is managed by Boston Properties. It is jointly owned by Boston Properties and an institutional client advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management. 

This certification recognizes that Metropolitan Square has implemented continuous sustainability improvement measures guided by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (LEED-EB: O&M) v2009, a rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.  Leonardo Academy was the LEED consultant supporting the successful achievement of Gold Certification.
 
LEED-EB Gold Certification is a prestigious rating given to existing buildings for maximizing operational efficiency and minimizing environmental impacts. Metropolitan Square implemented many sustainability actions to achieve Gold Certification, including:

• Implemented water efficiency measures that are expected to reduce water consumption by 3 million gallons annually.
• Diverted 91% of the electronic equipment solid waste from the landfill as part of a comprehensive recycling program.
• Achieved an ENERGY STAR Label with a rating of 86 out of a possible 100 points. Metropolitan Square has earned the ENERGY STAR Label for the past four years.
• Documented annual emissions reduction of 17,350 tons of CO2 equivalents through Leonardo Academy’s Cleaner & Greener® Program.  This is the equivalent of removing 3,279 cars from the road annually.
• Documented a 78% reduction in conventional commuting trips.
• Developed multiple outreach efforts to educate and motivate building occupants to adopt sustainable practices.
• Metropolitan Square recycles approximately 60% of the daily ongoing waste stream.

Jeff Garner, Director of Engineering for Boston Properties, Washington, DC Region, said, “We are very proud to achieve LEED EB O&M Gold Certification for Metropolitan Square.  This initial certification was an especially rewarding process for the entire Metropolitan Square property management team that ultimately made this effort a reality. Although we enjoyed a good start from our favorable sustainable site base and existing efficiency/conservation programs, actually obtaining certification required a tremendous amount of research, investigation, implementation, improvements and documentation, not to mention the commitment and support from our tenants. We are extremely pleased of what was accomplished and look forward to the continued privilege of operating the building as a LEED Gold facility.”

About Boston Properties
Boston Properties is a fully integrated, self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust that develops, redevelops, acquires, manages, operates and owns a diverse portfolio of Class A office space, one hotel, three residential properties and three retail properties.  The company is one of the largest owners and developers of Class A office properties in the United States, concentrated in five markets – Boston, New York, Princeton, San Francisco and Washington, DC.
 
For more information visit the company’s web site at http://www.bostonproperties.com. 

About J.P. Morgan Asset Management – Global Real Assets
J.P. Morgan Asset Management – Global Real Assets has approximately $64.5 billion in assets under management and more than 400 professionals in the U.S., Europe and Asia, as of September 30, 2012.  With a 40-plus-year history of successful investing, J.P. Morgan Asset Management – Global Real Assets’ broad  capabilities provide many of the world’s most sophisticated investors with a global platform of real estate, infrastructure, maritime/transport and energy strategies driven by local investment talent with disciplined investment processes consistently implemented across asset types and regions.

About Leonardo Academy
Leonardo Academy is a charitable 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing sustainability by leveraging innovative tools and information to motivate the competitive market  Leonardo Academy works on a broad range of sustainability issues. Our programs and services include: organizational sustainability assessments and implementation; emissions footprints and reduction and offset strategies; sustainable event certification through our Cleaner and Greener® Program; LEED® assessments, implementation and certification application preparation; sustainable land management; sustainability training; and sustainability standards development.

Leonardo Academy has provided LEED for Existing Building certification consulting services for over 25 million square feet of property worldwide.  For more information about Leonardo Academy visit http://www.leonardoacademy.org/.