1600 Spruce Tree Awarded LEED Gold Green Building Certification

1600 Spruce Tree, formerly Spruce Tree Centre, has been awarded LEED Gold. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the foremost program for buildings, homes and communities that are designed, constructed, and maintained for improved environmental and human health performance.

The iconic, five-story, 145,000-square foot office building located in Minneapolis-St. Paul's Midway area, boasts numerous amenities that designate the building as green. Aside from its distinctive green-tile exterior and tree-like shape, solar panels and water saving devices aid in energy conservation and reduced waste.

1600 Spruce Tree was originally awarded a LEED Certified designation in 2012 in collaboration with McGough. Since then, the office building has been operating daily with sustainability, efficiency and resource reduction as a guidepost. Partnering once again with McGough, LEED APs were able to demonstrate building metrics allowing 1600 Spruce Tree to be LEED Gold.

Being awarded once again is the ultimate third-party validation of our success. Without the skills and commitment of McGough, our team would not have achieved this certification, said Jason Sklar, property manager, 1600 Spruce Tree. The project is one of the first in Minnesota to achieve LEEDrecertification using the ARC online performance platform.

1600 Spruce Tree achieved LEED Gold for implementing practical and measurable strategies and solutions aimed at achieving high performance in: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

The LEED Gold certification of 1600 Spruce Tree was based on several green design and construction features that positively impact the project itself and the broader community. These features include:

• 37 Kwh Solar PV system;
• Solar Powered EV Charging Stations;
• EnergyStar rating of 86;
• Low-flow water aerators which reduce water consumption;
• Comprehensive recycling program, including organics and battery recycling;
• Green Cleaning; and
• Low or No-VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) materials used for paints, carpets and office furniture.