Brookfield Flips on Renewable Energy at 6 NoVA Offices
By Keith Loria February 18, 2020 10:39 am
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Brookfield (BN) Properties has added 100 percent clean, renewable power to six of its office buildings in Northern Virginia, with the new energy source going into effect this month.
“At this point, I think there are very few people who doubt global warming is a real thing,” Greg Meyer, executive vice president of Brookfield Properties for the Washington, D.C. Region, told Commercial Observer. “As real estate owners, we are responding not only to our conscious, but responding to our investors, employees and tenants, all of whom have an interest in this.”
The changes are impacting three of the firm’s Arlington properties: Potomac Tower at 1001 19th St., 601 South 12th Street, and 701 South 12th Street; and three Reston buildings: One and Two Halley Rise at 12000 Sunrise Valley Drive, and Reston Summit II at 2000 Edmund Halley Drive. The portfolio constitutes most of the firm’s core Virginia portfolio, Meyer said.
All six properties will now run on 100 percent hydropower produced by dams in Virginia. The dams are capable of supporting 24/7 renewable power.
“There was an opportunity to purchase renewable energy, and it was something that appealed to us and replace what we’ve been doing—electricity driven by fossil fuels—with something renewable and attractive to us,” Meyer said.
There will be rewiring involved and no changes to how the buildings will be operated, as the energy is still being purchased from the grid, Meyer said. Because Brookfield is purchasing power from a middleman who purchases from a renewable generator, the firm is supporting the renewable sources that come on line.
The initiative is part of Brookfield Properties’ sustainability strategy, which includes plans to develop responsible placemaking destinations throughout the D.C. area and the world.
“We’re trying to, across the board, take steps that are more environmentally responsible…our approach is to try and do whatever we can to be sustainable,” Meyer said. “For years, we’ve made investments in our buildings to be more energy efficient, so all of our buildings in our D.C. regional portfolio, with the exception of a couple we don’t control, have high Energy Star ratings.”
The $1.4 billion Halley Rise mixed-use development, which is slated for delivery in 2022, is planned for LEED Neighborhood Development status, thanks in part to the renewable power at One and Two Halley Rise.
