Watt Plaza garners coveted Gold LEED Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance (EB O&M) certification

It has been learnt that Watt Plaza, the celebrated twin 23-story office tower complex encompassing 900,000 square feet in the heart of Century City, has received high-profile Gold LEED Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance (EB O&M) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, this makes it the first office building in Los Angeles to accomplish this distinction in this category.

Let’s focus on Watt Plaza then. It happens to be one of five buildings in California and one of 12 buildings in the United States to be certified LEED EB O&M. LEED as well, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. This is the U.S. Green Building Council’s principal rating system for designing and constructing the world’s greenest, most energy efficient and high-performing buildings. Besides U.S. Green Building Council is a nonprofit membership organization whose vision is a sustainable built environment within a generation. Its membership includes corporations, builders, universities, government agencies, and other nonprofit organizations.

Which factors did help Watt Plaza to garner this prestigious certification? Well, in that case, we have to look at its achievements. Watt Plaza became able to introduce low-flow faucets, low-flush toilets and 88 water-free urinals – measures. These approaches do save millions of gallons of water per year. Based on the Pacific Institute Water-to-Air Model, which correlates water and energy demands to calculate carbon dioxide emissions, the use of the water-free urinals alone reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 39,600 pounds per year.

In addition, Watt Plaza has also put into operation a waste program that is competent to divert 70% of all building waste to a materials recovery facility other than e-waste, battery, bulb and ballast recycling programs. Alternative transportation options include bicycle racks, promotion of increased participation in ridesharing and providing commuting information from various websites to building occupants.

“We have made a significant effort to transform Watt Plaza into a shining example of environmental innovation,” said Nadine Watt, President of Watt Plaza. “We are thrilled to receive this much sought-after and prestigious certification, especially when you consider these buildings have been operational for over 25 years. This achievement underscores our deep-seeded commitment to protecting the environment and our desire to contribute to the growing strength of the green building movement.”