We are excited to announce that our listing SkySong 3 has officially gone “green” by achieving the elite Silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. http://cem-az.com/skysong-3-building-awarded-leed-silver-certification/

SkySong 3 has officially gone “green.”

The four-story, 145,000-square-foot office and research building at the intersection of SkySong Boulevard and Innovation Place has achieved Silver LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for its sustainable design and construction.

LEED—Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design—is a certification program that sets the standard for environmentally responsible construction in the U.S. Buildings are measured based on the number of points they earn across the categories of green building, such as energy, water, indoor environment, location and materials.

SkySong in 2009 earned environmental plaudits for the first two completed buildings on the site, SkySong 1 and SkySong 2, joining only a handful of projects in the Valley to have achieved Silver Certification of higher, and one of the few non-governmental projects to achieve such status.

“With some careful planning a touch of ingenuity, the SkySong 3 building is not only a beautiful property but an environmentally healthful one,” said Sharon Harper, President & CEO of Plaza Companies, the master developer of the SkySong project and the developer of SkySong 3. “A LEED Silver award confirms that Sky Song 3 tenants will work in a high-performance, energy-efficient building.”

The path to the LEED award began with the design process. The SkySong 3 project features sustainable strategies that were implemented, including:

• Use of native plant species and high-efficiency irrigation technology to achieve more than 73% reduction of water consumption for irrigation

• High efficiency design and systems technology to achieve an energy cost savings of 24%

• Over 33% of the total building materials were specified and manufactured using recycled materials.

• Over 35% of the total building materials include materials and products that were manufactured and extracted within a 500-mile radius of the project site

• Use of low-emitting materials like adhesives, sealants, paints, flooring, and composite wood to provide healthy indoor air quality

• Implementation of a Green Housekeeping Policy provided by the Plaza janitorial service contractor to optimize health indoor air quality for tenants and occupants during the building’s operational period

• Dedicated areas for collection and storage of recyclables within the building and onsite, including a tenant recycling waste disposal program provided by the janitorial service of the building

• Diversion of 69% of the on-site construction waste from the landfill

• Use of low-flow plumbing fixtures to achieve more than 39% water use reduction for the project

SkySong, the ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center, is home to a global business community that links technology, entrepreneurship, innovation and education to position ASU and Greater Phoenix as global leaders of the knowledge economy.

SkySong is a 42-acre mixed use development designed to:

• Create an ecology of collaboration and innovation among high-profile technology enterprises and related researchers

• Advance global business objectives of on-site enterprises

• Raise Arizona’s profile as a global center of innovation through co-location of ASU’s strategic global partners

• Create a unique regional economic and social asset

Companies located at SkySong enjoy a special relationship with Arizona State University, which has more than 73,000 students at four metropolitan Phoenix campuses. Its campus in Tempe is the single largest campus in the U.S., and it is located less than three miles from SkySong.

In addition to locating its own innovative research units at the center, ASU provides tenants with direct access to relevant research, educational opportunities and cultural events on its campuses. Through ASU’s on-site operations, tenant companies have a single point of contact for introductions to researchers, faculty and programs to address their specific needs.