As it accelerates towards its own net zero goal, JLL Project and Development Services announced that it has secured both LEED ® Gold (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and Fitwel ® certification for the company’s new office at 1 Station Place in the First Stamford Place complex in Stamford, CT.
The achievement brings the number of JLL corporate offices worldwide with sustainable building certifications to 79 and highlights the company’s efforts to lead the real estate industry into a healthier and more environmentally sustainable future.
JLL has pledged to achieve net zero carbon emissions within its own global operation by 2040. As a signatory to The Climate Pledge, the company ranks alongside Amazon and Global Optimism in committing to being net zero by 2040 and is a proud participant in the World Green Building Council’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment.
The company is partnering with investors and organizations globally to deliver smart and sustainable design, innovative technology and health and wellbeing solutions that won’t cost the earth. To date, it has achieved 295 sustainable building certifications for clients.
Bice Wilson, senior vice president of project and development services, said the Stamford project serves as a platform to showcase the workplace strategies JLL advocates for its clients while increasing the appeal of the 1 Station Place space for the firm’s Stamford Team.
“Thought leadership is central to JLL’s culture. Creating our offices at 1 Station Place gave us the opportunity to walk our talk while adhering to JLL’s core values for a sustainable future,” said Wilson. “We have executed a strategy that we advise our clients to follow, and the result has been a tremendous success in terms of sustainability and in inspiring our workers and our clients.”
Working hand-in-hand with experts from JLL’s Energy & Sustainability team, led by Senior Project Manager Hrisa Gatzoulis, LEED AP, WELL AP, every aspect of the office transformation was guided by best-practices in the kind of resilient and responsible environmental design that are helping accelerate the world’s acceptance of green practices.
To achieve the 60 LEED ® points required for GOLD certification at 1 Station Place, JLL repurposed the approximately 12,000-square-feet space on the building’s ground floor previously occupied by the management office for landlord Empire State Realty Trust and a vacant pre-built unit.
Working with architectural firm Perkins Eastman, JLL pursued pragmatic and quantifiable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions at 1 Station Place that included low-flow water fixtures to reduce annual water consumption, 100% LED lighting, Energy Star-rated equipment and comprehensive waste and recycling programs. An open layout created a variety of work settings while helping foster teamwork and interaction, and natural light was maximized with floor-to-ceiling windows and 18-foot ceilings.
To secure accreditation from Fitwell – a certification to support healthier workplace environments and improve occupant health and productivity – JLL employed a range of strategies at 1 Station Place, from the provision of active workstations to indoor air-quality control, as well as walkable amenities including outdoor space, fitness facilities and a wellness room for activities such as nursing.
“Fulfilling JLL’s vision of a healthy, sustainable workplace was much simpler than many of our clients may expect,” said Wilson. “The incremental cost and effort were insignificant, while the resulting enthusiasm of both staff and visitors, and the enhanced attendance and productivity that resulted, are invaluable.”
“The focus on the wellbeing of building occupants is part of the global transformation underway to create better and more productive workspaces,” said Gatzoulis. “This project in particular spotlights the importance of leveraging the expertise of people both within and without your organization to combine the best of real estate, technology and sustainability solutions to create positive workspaces.”
As part of its commitment to building a better world, last year launched Sustainable Operations, the real estate industry’s only technology-enabled end-to-end sustainability service developed to help companies configure, launch and manage portfolio-wide sustainability programs aligned with their sustainability commitments.
JLL is a leader in the New York tri-state commercial real estate market, with more than 2,600 of the most recognized industry experts offering brokerage, capital markets, property/facilities management, consulting, and project and development services. In 2017, the New York tri-state team completed approximately 40.9 million square feet of lease transactions; arranged investment sales, notes, debt and equity transactions valued at more than $1.6 billion; managed projects valued at $7.9 billion; and oversaw a property management, facilities management and agency leasing portfolio exceeding 147.8 million square feet.
