Brookfield is firmly committed to the continuous improvement of energy performance and the sustainability profile of its 75 million square foot North American office portfolio, both in new developments and in existing buildings. The company continues to expand and enhance the features, systems and programs that foster energy efficiency at its properties, as well as the wellness and safety of its tenants, employees and the community.
Each of Brookfield’s 91 managed properties undergoes routine, comprehensive environmental reviews and upgrades. Renovations are undertaken with the most environmentally conscious products available. The goal is to provide office space of the highest quality while reducing operating costs. Energy efficiency is a top priority throughout the company.
Brookfield has a three?pronged strategy toward achieving maximum sustainability and energy conservation in its office assets:
Building Green
Brookfield is a developer of premier office properties that define the skylines of major cities throughout North America. The company has pledged to build all new developments to a minimum standard of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold.
Brookfield opened the 1.2-million-square-foot Bay Adelaide Centre West tower in Toronto in September 2009, built to achieve a LEED Gold standard. This property, the first new building in Toronto’s financial district in 17 years, uses innovative design technologies and conservation strategies which translate into an estimated 20% energy savings for tenants relative to comparable buildings.
Standing 51 stories tall, the tower adheres to strict building efficiency guidelines, including optimization of energy, light and water, and the use of local and recycled building materials. The building also features state?of?the?art operating and life safety systems.
These features, incorporated in the building’s design, help conserve energy and limit carbon footprint:
Brookfield delivered a second building in Canada in 2009, Bankers Court in Calgary, also built to a LEED Gold standard.
Brookfield’s 15-million-square-foot development pipeline includes 12 centrally located sites in the downtown cores of New York, Washington, DC, Houston, Denver, Toronto, Calgary and Ottawa. It is intended that these sites will be developed and designed to a minimum standard of LEED Gold when market conditions are conducive to new development.
Reinventing the Portfolio to Lead Industry in Energy Efficiency and Sustainability
With over 100 office buildings encompassing 75 million square feet across the U.S. and Canada, Brookfield is continuously seizing opportunities to enhance the sustainability and energy efficiency of its assets.
Brookfield tracks energy consumption at all of its properties, and has reported carbon emissions to the Carbon Disclosure Project for the past few years. The company also utilizes ENERGY STAR to measure and monitor energy performance as well as to ensure continual progress in limiting contributions to greenhouse gases.
The company uses the MACH Energy tracking tool at the majority of its buildings in the U.S. The tool allows Brookfield to benchmark energy use and look at day?to?day comparisons to determine which reduction activities are providing the most notable impact on energy savings. In Canada, energy is closely monitored online via a sub?meter system; energy data is available in real?time and is monitored on a continuous basis.
Brookfield has achieved LEED certification at nine properties within its existing office portfolio:
ENERGY STAR Across the Portfolio
Brookfield’s goal is to increase its current average ENERGY STAR score in the U.S. of 78 to 80 by the end of 2010 by running routine energy audits and identifying areas for major upgrades.
Brookfield has made great strides in the past few years; by the end of 2009 the company had received ENERGY STAR labels at 35 of its properties, an increase from five at the end of 2007. Currently, 65% of Brookfield Properties buildings in the U.S. have received ENERGY STAR or are currently under review for this certification by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA"). In early 2009, Brookfield was proud to announce that all of its office properties in Houston, encompassing more than nine million square feet, had earned ENERGY STAR. The company achieved its goal of 65% certification in its U.S. portfolio by the end of 2009.
