from staff
The St. John may not be built yet, but when it is, it will be Northeast Florida’s first residential or commercial high-rise tower in the area to be LEED certified.
The St. John has recently been registered for certification in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The program was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.
According to a press release, the registration was acknowledged by BVM Engineering, a consultant of Hines, after a detailed review of Hines’ plans for the 51-story high-rise to be built on the Southbank. Hines is a privately owned real estate firm.
“This announcement comes after a thorough evaluation of our plans for The St. John. This is an achievement for Hines, the future residents of The St. John, and on a broader and more vital level, for all residents of Northeast Florida,” said Walt O’Shea, vice president of Hines, developer of The St. John. “It is exceedingly important for our firm, which is an international leader in LEED certification standards and research, to enhance the living and working environment of our occupants while being proactive in protecting and conserving our environment.”
The St. John will not receive its designation until the completion and final review that will be done by the U.S. Green Building Council. Hines expects the final review will occur in 2009. According to the press release, the registration status means the plans for The St. John have meet the council’s high standards for construction.
The base plans for The St. John did not include LEED criteria, but BVM Engineering said the high-rise would require minimal changes to comply with the LEED criteria for certification.
Here are a few of Hines and BVM Engineering plans for The St. John:
• Low-E glass: this will be used for the building’s exterior walls to reduce the building’s solar heat gain by 59 percent and reduce the amount of UV light transmitted through the glass by 80 percent
• Full-height glass exterior walls: reduces the the use of electrical lighting by allowing natural light to penetrate deeper into the building
• Native landscaping: the type of landscaping will minimize the use of irrigation and fertilizer. The storm water runoff into the St. Johns River will be reduced by more than 25 percent
• Proximity to public transportation
• Will use locally produced materials in the building’s design
Hines is no stranger to the LEED program with 12 employees around the country who are LEED Accredited Professionals and more than 14 million square feet of buildings that meet some form of LEED qualification standards. Hines’ high-rise office tower, the 1180 Peachtree building in Atlanta, was the first high-rise tower in the world to receive a precertification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Core and Shell Pilot Program.
Developers are expecting to break ground on The St. John later this year with occupancy slated for 2009.