Our News
November 17, 2011
Ackerman & Co. Completes the Hat Trick with Centrum
Atlanta, November 17, 2011 – Earlier this month, Ackerman & Co., a full-service commercial real estate firm, achieved LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification for Existing Buildings from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for Centrum at Glenridge. The 183,000-square-foot, eight-story, class “A” office building is one of the first to receive LEED Gold certification in the Glenridge submarket and only the sixth in Central Perimeter.
Ackerman, the property manager and leasing agent for Centrum, managed the eight-month long LEED certification process. “Centrum underwent significant improvements to increase its energy efficiency,” said Diane Leckemby, director of property management. “Our sustainable efforts have taken us through water and energy upgrades and a thorough revision of our existing green policies.”
The building’s largest occupant, home furnishing retailer Havertys, participated in the LEED surveys and quickly recognized the long-term benefits of going green. “We were one of the biggest supporters of this sustainable effort which says a lot about Ackerman’s commitment to the building,” said Rawson Haverty Jr., senior vice president at Havertys.
Centrum, a joint venture of The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company and Ackerman, has earned an ENERGY STAR rating of 82, bringing the property to the top sixteen percent of all buildings nationwide in energy efficiency. The building is also “Net-Zero by Offsets” meaning that 100 percent of the energy consumed at Centrum has been offset with wind power purchased off-site. “That’s a first for a multi-tenant office building in Atlanta,” said Diane.
Sustainable improvement highlights at Centrum at Glenridge include:
- Reduction of indoor water usage by 48%
- Upgrade of landscaping to 100% native/adaptive plantings
- Implementation of a converted cistern provides 100% water irrigation through rainwater
- Replacement of existing HAVC to a more energy-efficient system
- Upgrade of existing roof with energy-efficient roofing materials
- Increase of the eco-friendly cleaning product use by 60%
- Addition of sustainable guidelines and best practices for future tenant build-outs
— ABOUT ACKERMAN —
Ackerman has two additional LEED Silver and Gold certified projects respectively at Premier Plaza I and Premier Plaza II. The company also has applied for LEED certification for recently acquired Marietta Medical Center – the first medical project to be registered in the Marietta market.
LEED certification project partner Sustainable Investment Group (SIG) was instrumental to the success of this project. “SIG guided us through every step and most importantly, helped us achieve substantial cost savings,” added Diane.
Atlanta-based Ackerman & Co. is a privately held, leading full-service commercial real estate company offering quality investment, brokerage, management and development services. The company, founded in 1967, retains an expert team of more than 100 real estate professionals. Through its keen business vision, efficient management, aggressive sales and leasing, and exemplary tenant representation, Ackerman & Co. has become one of the top commercial real estate companies in the Southern United States.
To date, Ackerman & Co. has developed and acquired more than 30 million square feet of office, medical, retail and mixed-use space, has nearly 4 million square feet under management, and maintains an investment portfolio valued at $750 million.
For more information on Ackerman & Co., visit www.ackermanco.net