Southern California Office Real Estate Blog

TWO SOCAL BUILDINGS ARE EPA EFFICIENCY CONTEST FINALISTS

By Jodi Summers

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has picked 14 commercial buildings for their first national energy efficiency contest – and two of the finalists are in Southern California. Kudos to the Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Downtown - San Diego, CA and JCPenney Store # 1778 - Orange, CA will be competing with 12 other commercial structures around the country to best streamline their energy usage and be heralded the winner.

Two hundred buildings entered the competition, which will run through October 26, 2010. Fourteen finalists were chosen for undisclosed reasons. (Meet the contenders @ http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=buildingcontest..contestants)

Each entrant was tagged with an energy use intensity (EUI) number portraying the building’s energy use. A building’s EUI is calculated by taking the total energy consumed in one year (measured in kBtu) and dividing it by the total floorspace of the building. The winner is the one who lowers their EUI by the greatest percentage. Obviously a candidate such as the Van Holten Primary School - Bridgewater, NJ (EUI 150) will use relatively little energy (particularly when school’s out) compared to the Solon Family Health Center in Cleveland, OH (EUI 318) or an office building 522 5th Avenue - New York, NY (EUI 242) . Each building will be judged on the percentage of reduction they achieve in their EUI.

The nominees will measure and track their building’s monthly energy consumption using Portfolio Manager, the EPA’s online energy tracking tool. The building that demonstrates the greatest percentage-based reduction through October 26^th will be recognized as the winner.

Now, a little about our local contestants -

The team name for the Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Downtown is “Money in the Bank” – appropriately named because the hotel is located in the historic San Diego Trust & Savings Bank building in the city’s Gaslamp district. Ten years ago, the building went through a spectacular adaptive reuse, transitioning from a bank and office building to the Courtyard by Marriott Downtown San Diego hotel with 245 guest rooms. The 1920s bank building has guest rooms and common areas retrofitted with efficient sensors and technology. The hotel lists four reasons why it is important for it to save energy, money, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions: 1) Its guests expect it, 2) Its owners require it, 3) Its employees know it is the right thing to do, and 4) It owes it to their community. MSD’s starting EUI is 162.

JCPenney Store # 1778 - Orange, CA is calling their crew the Orange Power Rangers. That JCPenney Store opened in 1977. The store covers 100,853 gross square feet with a net sales floor space of 69,723 square feet. The Orange store is part of a group of 63 JCPenney stores that participate in the company’s Advanced Energy Management (AEM) Program, which focuses on energy awareness on both the facility maintenance and store associate level. With the help of an Interval Data Recorder (IDR) meter, the energy usage of this store is monitored on a next-day basis, and daily store energy use reports for all associates to see. JC Penny Orange is already using 35% less energy than it was last year. 1778. Their starting EUI: 165

Good luck to all of the finalists, may you make the world a better place. Btw, does anyone else know what the winner gets, other than a trophy and/or plaque to proudly display?

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http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=buildingcontest.contestants

http://www.bustler.net/index.php/article/14_finalists_picked_in_epas_national_building_competition/

http://www.energyboom.com/emerging/epa-and-energy-stars-new-national-building-competition?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20energyboom%20%28EnergyBoom%20Daily%20Briefing%29

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http://brandmediaweek.typepad.com/.a/6a00d834519bc269e20120a694b62a970b-580wi

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LOS ANGELES WINS THE ENERGY STAR GRAND PRIZE…AGAIN

By Jodi Summers

Bravo to all of you greening your properties. According to our friends at the environmental protection agency, approximately 3,900 commercial buildings earned the Energy Star rating in 2009, representing annual savings of more than $900 million in utility bills and more than 4.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Impressively, nearly 9,000 buildings across the nation have earned the Energy Star for superior energy efficiency during the past 11 years.

A standing ovation for our beloved Los Angeles. The EPA ranked us as first on its annual list of metro areas with the most energy-efficient buildings. We led the field with 293 buildings labeled Energy Star in 2009, up from the 262 that qualified the city as No. 1 in 2008.

Kudos also go to our nation’s capitol. Washington, DC, ranked fourth place in 2008, is now in second, with 204 Energy Star buildings, up from 136 the previous year.

Energy Star is a voluntary labeling program run by the EPA and U.S. Department of Energy. In order to qualify, a building or manufacturing plant must score in the top 25 percent based , on the agency’s National Energy Performance Rating System and use less energy, reduce operating expenses and cause fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

Roll the credits - the top 25 cities with the most energy star labeled buildings in 2009 are:

1. Los Angeles, CA

2. Washington, DC

3. San Francisco, CA

4. Denver, CO

5. Chicago, IL

6. Houston, TX

7. Lakeland, FL

8. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX

9. Atlanta, GA

10. New York, NY

11. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN

12. Portland, OR

13. Boston, MA

14. Seattle, WA

15. Detroit, MI

16. Sacramento, CA

17. San Diego, CA

18. Austin, TX

19. Miami, FL

20. Phoenix, AZ

21. Ogden, UT

22. Charlotte, NC

23. Indianapolis, IN

24. Des Moines, IA/Fort Collins, CO/Philadelphia, PA

25. Louisville, KY

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http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2010/03/23/la-takes-top-spot-epa-green-building-rankings

http://www.costar.com/News/Article.aspx?id=624F645516667EF93A09A56906607F8E&ref=100&iid=174&cid=383F14EEE265B182474DA2442BACBBBF

http://gateway.costar.com/imageviewer/GetImage.aspx?webimage=EPA+Energy+Star.JPG

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CALGREEN – > CALIFORNIA NOW HAS THE COUNTRY’S GREENEST BUILDING STANDARD

By Jodi Summers

Bravo to us! California has adopted the greenest building standards in the United States…and the world.

The new code, called Calgreen, goes into effect next January 2011. It requires all builders to:

v Install plumbing that cuts indoor water use.

Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board, said the new building code would require developers to slash water use in their buildings by 20%, using more efficient toilets, shower heads and faucets.

v Divert 50 percent of construction waste from landfills to recycling.

v Use low-pollutant paints, carpets and floorings

v Buildings will be given certificates of occupancy occupied only after strict energy standards were verified.

In addition, for non residential buildings:

v Install separate water meters for different uses.

v Mandates the inspection of energy systems by local officials to ensure that heaters, air conditioners and other mechanical equipment in nonresidential buildings are working efficiently.

v It allows local jurisdictions, such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, to retain their stricter existing green building standards, or adopt more stringent versions of the state code if they choose.

“California should be proud… These are simple, cost-effective green practices. …” notes Tom Sheehy, acting secretary of the state Consumer Services Agency and chair of the California Building Standards Commission, which approved the standards. “This is (something) no other state in the country has done - integrating green construction practices into the very fabric of the construction code.”

While California’s largest metropolitan areas have adopted their own green building standards, these new regulations will be particularly useful for smaller jurisdictions that have been unable to develop their own green construction guidelines.

This is a positive alternative to LEED construction standards. Sites Sandra Boyle, an executive vice president of Glenborough, a developer, “The cost for owners to go through this rating system is astronomical — in a very challenging commercial real estate market.”

“You will have a whole bunch of cities that never would have included this in their building doing it, and doing it in a way that won’t kill the economy,” observes Matthew Hargrove, a vice president with the California Business Properties Association. “Outside the coastal areas it will be helpful - like in West Sacramento, where they looked into creating a green building code but balked because it’s cumbersome to develop and they didn’t have the resources.”

Buildings currently account for about one-quarter of the state’s total greenhouse gas emissions. These new standards are applauded as an important step in helping California meet its goal in reducing the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2020.

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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2010/01/13/MNDR1BH9SA.DTL#ixzz0dJ9grkaW

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2010/01/13/MNDR1BH9SA.DTL

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-green-building11-2010jan11,0,1841989.story

http://www.thedailygreen.com/cm/thedailygreen/images/WA/Kohler-DualFlush-BR08-lg.jpg

RECYCLE L.A. TELEPHONE NUMBERS

RECYCLE L.A. TELEPHONE NUMBERS

by the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works Bureau of Sanitation

edited by Jodi Summers

Have something beyond the usual household refuse you’d like to recycle?

Here’s who you need to contact:

RECYCLE L.A. TELEPHONE NUMBERS

Alley Clean Up 800-996-2489

Animal Services 888-452-7381

Bulky Item Pick Up 800-773-2489

Bureau of Sanitation Customer Service Center 800-773-2489

Dead Animal Pick Up 800-996-2489

Drop Off Yards 800-773-2489

Household Toxics/SAFE Centers 800-988-6942

Illegal Dumping 800-996-2489

Multi-Family Residential Recycling Program Hotline 800-773-2489

Pot Holes 800-996-2489

Sewer & Storm Drain Issues 800-996-2489

Stormwater Hotline 800-974-9794

Street Lighting 800-996-2489

Street Tree Trimming 800-996-2489

Toll-free City Information 3-1-1

Used Oil Disposal 800-988-6942

Vacant Lot Clean Up 800-996-2489

City of Los Angeles Neighborhood Drop-Off Yards

Drop Off Yards accept materials such as bulky items, furniture and up to 4 tires per year. All Collection yards are open from 8am-2pm, Monday through Friday. For more information call 800-773-2489.

Bulky Item Collection

The City of Los Angeles (City) will pick up your large or bulky household items, such as mattresses, couches and other furniture. To make arrangements to have these items removed from your curbside, please call 800-773-2489 or 3-1-1.

Unrequested Advertising or Unwanted Mail

You can reduce unrequested advertising or unwanted mail by visiting their website (www.dmaconsumers.org) or writing to:

Direct Marketing Association

Mail Preference Service

P.O. Box 9008

Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008

For additional program information visit the Multi-Family Residential Recycling website at www.larecycles.org or Email us at multifamily@lacity.org. Call the Hotline at 800-773-2489 or 3-1-1

THAT’S IT! IT’S EASY!

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http://www.larecycles.org/pdf/Resorce_Card_english.pdf

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/emeraldcity/2008/02/does-the-trash.html

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GREEN OFFICE AND INDUSTRIAL REITS SHOWING PROMISE

GREEN OFFICE AND INDUSTRIAL REITS SHOWING PROMISE

By Jodi Summers

Office and industrial REITs expect to remain tightly focused for the balance of the year –evaluating the damage to occupancy and rents twisted by current economic conditions.Expect REITs to be greening and negotiating sexier leases mitigate potential damage.

Buildings are responsible for 40% of emissions, and commercial sectors such as industrial and office are greening to cut costs and attract hipper clients.

Taking such savvy acts, coupled with the 2^nd + 3^rd quarter strengthening of the economy have motivated market observers to observe that the publicly traded REIT market at bottom or near bottom.

A recent CBRE Investors report noted that “the bottom of the capital market cycle may be close,” with pricing metrics on U.S. commercial real estate starting to look attractive again to buyers.

“Much of the recent negative press about commercial real estate reflects the experiences of distressed owners,” CBRE noted in their report. “However, from

prospective buyers’ perspectives, many pricing indicators look historically favorable,” based on the current widening spread between aappraised-value cap rates and risk-free 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds.

“Just as REITs led the private markets in 2007 and 2008, it is probable that the recent share-price recovery is an early indicator that a trough in private markets is coming soon.”

Energy saving upgrades such as timed lighting + cooling, white roofs and thin solar films to cover the windows of office buildings are cutting back on cooling costs and increasing user comfort.

CoStar’s office and industrial market report stated that average sale prices, while down significantly from their 2007 peaks, are at or close to their historical averages. Cap rates have expanded sharply during the same period but are also in line with historic averages.

REITs comprise just 10% of the commercial real estate market, but wield significance as a bellwether for future commercial real estate conditions.

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http://www.costar.com/News/Article.aspx?id=6A1CBF26B572D3A957377280529227C0&ref=100&iid=143&cid=383F14EEE265B182474DA2442BACBBBF

http://www.socalofficerealestateblog.com/?p=405

http://www.socalofficerealestateblog.com/?p=570

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GREEN WALLS KEEP OFFICE PROPERTIES COOLER

GREEN WALLS KEEP PROPERTIES COOLER

By Jodi Summers

We discussed green roofs, now let’s cover green walls. Covered in vegetation, green walls can be 25% cooler than regular building walls in summer, remove air pollutants, and they look great.

Historically speaking, green walls aren’t exactly a new idea: The Romans planted grape vines along building walls, resulting in faster growing and sweeter grapes for wine. The structures are also prevalent in Europe, where modern-day green roofs first took off.

What the ancient Romans devised is now be adapted for 21^st century applications. Steven Peck, president of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, a Toronto industry association, observes that interest in green walls is growing, estimating that green roof installations have increased at about 30 percent a year over five years.

Locally, the Rainbow Apartments off San Julian Street in the heart of skid row has a 34-foot-long vegetable wall filled with strawberries, tomatoes, basil and other herbs and vegetables. Residents of this step up housing facility are surprised at how the garden has united them.

“It brings us together as a group, kind of like therapy, to see something growing and flourishing,” Jannie Burrows said.

The wall was installed with the assistance Urban Farming, as part of the nonprofit’s Food Chain project. Urban Farming also erected “edible” walls at the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank, the Miguel Contreras Learning Center and the Weingart Centidenter.

The Food Chain project, said Urban Farming founder Taja Sevelle, enables residents in some of the city’s poorest areas to grow food in underused spaces at a time when food prices are soaring. The walls, she said, “get people to think outside the box. You can plant food in so many different places.”

In the corporate world, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. recently installed a 2,400 square feet green wall on one side of its headquarters in Pittsburgh. It’s the size of two tennis courts and features more than 15,000 ferns, sedums, brass buttons and other plants that create a swirling pattern of varying hues of green above the company’s logo. They are divided among hundreds of 2-by-2-foot aluminum panels that were anchored onto the building’s frame after part of the granite facade was removed.

“We think it’s the right thing to do for our community, for our customers and our shareholders,” said Gary Saulson, head of corporate real estate for PNC. “We wanted to add greenery to an area that didn’t have any. … We really view the green wall as public art.”

Green Living Technologies LLC, of Rochester, N.Y., designed the wall at PNC. The company has also installed walls in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle.

PNC bills its green wall as the largest in North America. On average green walls cost about $100 to $125 a square foot.

The Pittsburgh wall requires only 15 minutes a week of watering during peak growing season — less in winter — provided through the building’s plumbing system.

For non-edible green walls, according to Joanne Westphal, a landscape architecture professor at Michigan State University and part of the school’s Green Roof Research Program, the biggest benefit to green walls is their ability to help cool buildings through shading. They also help capture rainwater and release it more slowly into the atmosphere and stormwater systems. Additionally, green walls can offset the carbon output of one person a day.

http://www.agreenroof.com

http://www.greenroofs.org

http://www.socalgreenrealestateblog.com/?p=514

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/slideshow/ALeqM5hKS7UwnC8nR6j4kYQLu6m1X7nBbQD9B9DRK00?index=0

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hKS7UwnC8nR6j4kYQLu6m1X7nBbQD9B9DRK00

http://www.insideurbangreen.org/green-wall/

http://www.edgelosangeles.com/index.php?ch=style&sc=home&sc2=&sc3=&id=97540

http://articles.latimes.com/2008/aug/14/local/me-garden14

http://arkitipintel.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/amelia_b_lima-green_wall.jpg

LOS ANGELES WINS THE ENERGY STAR GREEN PRIZE

LOS ANGELES WINS THE ENERGY STAR GREEN PRIZE

By Jodi Summers

Yeah for us! Los is the most Energy Star efficient city in the United States!

This information comes courtesy of our government. The latest U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) index of the 25 U.S. cities with the most Energy Star buildings. Los Angeles leads the list with more than 260 buildings encompassing 74 million square feet, or about as much floor space as 27 Empire State buildings.

“We’re setting the green standard in LA. Reducing our carbon footprint by 35 percent below 1990 levels is the most ambitious goal set by a major American city,” stated Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

The goal for the city’s GREEN LA imitative is to reduce Los Angeles’ greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. This target is greatest reduction target of any large U.S. city. The core of GREEN LA is increasing the city’s use of renewable energy to 35 percent by 2020.

San Francisco, Houston, Washington, DC, and Dallas-Fort Worth round out the top five.

“Energy Star buildings typically use 35 percent less energy and emit 35 percent less greenhouse gases than average buildings,” noted EPA administrator Lisa Jackson. “They are saving energy, saving money and protecting our environment.”

The EPA noted that Energy Star buildings in just the top five cities have saved more than $315 million in energy costs.

The list did have some surprises. Big East Coast hubs did not fare well, with just two — Washington, DC, and Atlanta — placing in the top 10. In fact, the total number of Energy Star buildings in New York (#12), Boston (11), Philadelphia (17) and Miami (23) was less than the number in Los Angeles, EPA reported.

Also being savvy enough to make the list were several smaller, Midwestern cities where energy tends to be cheaper, such as Grand Rapids, MI, and Madison, WI.

Details courtesy of http://www.costar.com/News/Article.aspx?id=0F9ACA2C00BDA94C9DB4DED0A6B19C9B&ref=100&iid=123&cid=383F14EEE265B182474DA2442BACBBBF

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/may2007/2007-05-15-01.asp

http://www.daylife.com/topic/Antonio_Villaraigosa

CHINA’S OFFICE PROPERTY MARKETS ARE ABOUT TO EXPLODE!

CHINA’S OFFICE PROPERTY MARKETS ARE ABOUT TO EXPLODE!

By Jodi Summers

China’s secondary and tertiary markets are beginning to play a greater and greater role in the country’s real estate market, and analysts are speculating that China’s property market could quadruple in size by 2020.

The information comes courtesy of a report from at Jones Lang LaSalle titled China40: The Rising Urban Stars report.

“China’s Tier II and Tier III cities are dynamic centers of economic development and continued growth,” says Michael Klibaner, head of research Shanghai. “Massive infrastructure investment makes these markets increasingly accessible at a time when interest in China has shifted from being export oriented towards a focus on the domestic market.”

Analyzed in the report were the 40 top Tier II and Tier III cities which will be a strong future investment value. Each city was further analyzed for it real estate strengths. For office, Tianjon, Chongqing and Nanjong made the list; in retail Changsha, Wuhan and Wenzhou; and in Logistics Chengdu, Qingdao and Zhengzhou.

“The future evolution of China’s cities and their real estate markets will be driven by a rich combination of factors that are strongly influenced by government policy,” the report states. These policies focus on urbanization, with plans in place to see the city population explode to 850 million people by 2020. “The government’s ideal end vision of the urbanization process is a country wide network of environmentally sensitive cities each with their own unique competitive advantages and strong trading connections.”

China’s grade A office supply is roughly the size of Washington, DC’s entire supply, averaging 39.4 million square feet by the end of the year. But by 2011, that supply is expected to expand to 68.9 million square feet, with half the increase due to development projects in the Tier II and Tier III cities. The demand in these cities is being created by real estate advisors, insurance services and the banking sector.

JLL lists Dalian, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Shenyang, Wuhan, Tianjin, Nanjing and Chongqing as having the greatest potential to become robust office hubs.

Info courtesy of

http://www.globest.com/news/1366_1366/asia/177432-1.html

http://travel.aolcdn.com/travdestguide/Tianjin-China_02-360a032407.jpg

http://www.visit-southampton.co.uk/xsdbimgs/May%20Breeze%20square.jpg

http://www.virtourist.com/asia/china/chengdu/imatges/01.jpg

INSTALLING SOLAR FILMS CUT UTILITY EXPENSES

INSTALLING SOLAR FILMS CUT UTILITY EXPENSES

   by Jodi Summers

Thin solar films are now covering the windows of office buildings around the country, reducing the temperature inside, cutting back on cooling costs and increasing user comfort.

The newer, thinner, solar films being placed over the building’s glass that is completely clear, yet cuts ultraviolet and infrared light. “This is a clear film that takes your window and makes it into a smart window,” says Dan Venet, executive vice president of CHB Industries. “It’s nice to have natural light coming in, and gives you an opportunity to reduce your lighting needs.”

Earlier versions of this film kept out heat, but the tint created a gloomy environment, something you don’t need more of in the northern part of the country. Newer solar films take advantage of technology that filters out UVA and UVB rays, while reflecting infrared radiation. That reflection reduces 55% of the sun’s heat without affecting the visible spectrum of light – a giant leap for mankind.

Key is the clarity of the new films, which allow in maximum light and decreases energy consumption.

“We’ve had tenants put no lighting in perimeter offices because of that,” notes Herb Gonzalez, a property manager at L&L Holding Co., about how the new film impacts office buildings. “We notice a significant heat rise in areas not yet filmed. We find it does cool the building.”

The technology has advanced to the point that some films not only will block light, they also contain ultra-thin photovoltaics to allow the film to produce energy. The payback period on solar films varies by region. In the West, payback can range from six months to three years, Smith observed.

The October 2008 Emergency Economic Stabilization Act allows tax credits for homeowners who install energy efficient improvements in 2009, with window films possibly qualifying, according to the International Window Film Association (IWFA), in Martinsville, VA. Commercial real estate, however faces greater economic challenges.

“There’s a tremendous amount of interest,” with the recent spikes in the price of oil, says Darrell Smith, executive director of the IWFA. “But the same people who are worried about energy bills also are worried about layoffs.”

http://www.globest.com/news/1342_1342/insider/176890-1.html

http://www.euroguard-spain.com/solar-film.html

http://www.protint.ca/ComResInd.htm

http://www.windowfilmdepot.com/blog/index.php

BUY WATERGATE – A INFAMOUS NIXON-ERA COMMERCIAL LANDMARK

BUY WATERGATE – A INFAMOUS NIXON-ERA COMMERCIAL LANDMARK

By Jodi Summers

Politicos will be intrigued to learn that the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. is for sale.  To rattle your memory, the Watergate is famous for its role in the downfall of former president Richard Nixon, leading to his resignation.

Being offered is a 10-acre, mixed-use development is comprised of three luxury residential towers, two class-A office buildings, a 200-room hotel and a parking garage. The assets have been tentatively valued at north of $100 million.

What you get is 2600 Virginia Ave. - a 198,538-square-foot office building; 2500 Virginia Ave. - a 66,034-square-foot retail venue; and a 314-space underground parking facility.

The complex has an occupancy rate that averages in the low 90s, with the office occupied at around 96%. Office tenants include the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission, Saul Ewing, the Washington Opera and PNC Bank. The US Postal Service, CVS Pharmacy and Safeway supermarket are among the retail tenants.

The property’s financing is assumable. With a term that ends October 2015, it has an initial blended rate of 5.43%.

The Watergate scandals were a series of American political scandals during the presidency of Richard Nixon that resulted in the indictment of several of Nixon’s closest advisors, and ultimately his resignation on August 9, 1974. The scandals began with the arrest of five men for breaking and entering into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Office complex in Washington, D.C. on June 17, 1972. The scandal has been immortalized with the trend of adding ‘gate’ to the phrases associated with scandals.

Info courtesy of:

http://www.globest.com/news/1366_1366/washington/177425-1.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watergate_scandal

http://ilikedginger.net/gtisongs/boyfriends/elvis_presley_and_richard_nixon.jpg

http://www.memphisflyer.com/binary/dd83/RichardNixonFarewell.jpg