LEED (Leadership in energy & environmental design)

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an ecology-oriented building certification program run under the auspices of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED concentrates its efforts on improving performance across five key areas of environmental and human health: energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, materials selection, sustainable site development and water savings.

LEED is a nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings and provides building owners and operators with the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings' performance.

On September 23, 2010, ATRIA Corporate Center achieved the LEED for Existing Building: Operations and Maintenance designation. Our LEED certification process resulted in several significant benefits, including water use reduction, decreased energy consumption, enhanced indoor environmental quality and implementation of high-performance cleaning programs and use of sustainable cleaning and paper products. Numerous “Green” operations and maintenance policies have been implemented to improve operational efficiencies and lower operating expenses, while minimizing the Building’s impact on the environment. See the individual Sections throughout this website for more detailed information on each topic including Commuting & Transportation, Restrooms, Energy & Environmental Conservation, Janitorial, Pest Control, Recycling & Trash and Personal Appliances.

Additional information about LEED certification is available at http://www.usgbc.org/leed

Energy star

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created a program, ENERGY STAR, which offers organizations solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions through energy management. A cornerstone of the program is the ENERGY STAR certification for buildings that achieve superior energy performance, based on measured energy use data. Energy performance is measured by the functions of building design and systems, building equipment, how the building is managed, and how the occupants use the building.

In an office building with one or more tenants, the impact of tenant practices on whole building energy use can be very significant. For landlords (owners or managers) seeking to attain or retain the ENERGY STAR certification for their buildings, encouraging tenants to adopt best practices for energy efficiency is critical.

ATRIA Corporate Center has been eligible for ENERGY STAR certification for ten (10) consecutive years. Since 2007, ATRIA's ratings have been in the top 10% of similar commercial buildings. The Building’s current rating for 2017 is 97 percent.

Additional information about the Energy Star rating program is available at www.energystar.gov/buildings

boma 360

On June 13, 2013, ATRIA Corporate Center earned the BOMA 360 Performance Building awarded by the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International. The prestigious BOMA 360 Performance Program® validates and recognizes commercial properties that demonstrate best practices in building operations and management.

Unlike other building certifications that measure only a building’s energy and sustainability performance, BOMA 360 is that and much more! Our building has been measured against current industry best practices and achieved third-party verification of excellence in...

Building operations and management
Life safety, security and risk management
Training and education for building personnel
Energy management
Environmental/sustainability performance
Tenant relations and community involvement

The BOMA 360 Performance Program has given us a meaningful way to demonstrate our commitment to our tenants and to excellence, and we are thrilled to receive this important recognition. Additional information about the BOMA 360 Performance Program is available at www.boma.org/360.

lights out program and bird migration

ATRIA Corporate Center is a proud participant of "Lights Out Twin Cities."

Audubon Minnesota's Lights Out program is a collaborative effort to reduce the number of birds killed or injured when they collide with structures such as buildings, has been ongoing since 2007 and is supported by multiple organizations, including Minneapolis' chapter for Building Owners and Manager's Associations (BOMA) and by the individual building staff that makes it happen every spring and fall.

Why Project BirdSafe / Lights Out?

As stewards of the environment, everyone should be concerned about conserving birds. Birds perform many useful functions, from pollination to seed dispersal to insect control. In spring their return signals the renewal of the seasons just as their fall departure precedes the changeover to winter. Their songs and daily activity bring joy to nearly everyone.

Most birds migrate at night and can be drawn off course by tall, lighted structures in their flight path. Many birds are killed or injured in collisions with buildings or drop from exhaustion after circling them, reluctant to fly out of the light. Migration is such an arduous business for birds, and we should do everything we can to make it easier for them. Lights Out programs can dramatically reduce these collisions.

What we do:

Exterior decorative lighting OFF during migration seasons
- Between midnight and dawn
- Spring: from March 15 to May 31
- Fall: from August 15 to October 31
Interior lights OFF especially on upper floors
Lobby or atrium lighting DIM or OFF

LIGHTS OUT FAQ
How does Lights Out work?
Lights Out is a voluntary program where building owners, managers and tenants work together to ensure that all unnecessary lighting is turned off during Lights Out dates and times.

Other Lights Out benefits
Besides saving birds, the Lights Out program saves a considerable amount of energy and reduces pollution by reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The savings for a building can be significant. One participating building in the Toronto Lights Out program reported a savings of more than $200,000 in 2006.

How do we know that dimming or turning off lights can help?
Turning off unnecessary lights in buildings has been shown to reduce the number of birds attracted to or confused by illumination. Since Chicago buildings began dimming or turning off lights, many more birds are navigating through the city successfully. In fact, at one building where records have been kept for many years, mortality decreased by 80 percent when lights were turned off. More and more cities are starting programs and also compiling data on bird mortality.

What do building owners get out of participating?
A Lights Out program leads to real energy savings, which translates directly to real cost savings. Participating buildings save birds, save money and save energy while reducing carbon emissions. Many buildings are also interested in certification through the LEED system -- a "green" rating system for buildings, indicating Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Building owners, managers, employees and tenants also take pride in their participation in Lights Out. There is really no downside to Lights Out.

Won't a darkened city be unsafe?
Not at all. Lights Out cities don't go completely dark by any means. Lights Out focuses on dimming or extinguishing extraneous lights coming from buildings, particularly in the upper stories. This includes the bright, decorative lighting that defines the building top, as well as interior office lights that aren't being used. Street-level lights, though preferably down-shielded, and airplane warning lights are not affected.

While many buildings may choose to alter their lighting practices year round, Lights Out for birds is technically in effect during key migration periods late at night. This usually means about 10 weeks in spring and 10 more in the fall, between the hours of midnight and daylight.