Union Bank’s San Diego headquarters building located at 530 B Street has been awarded LEED Gold certification from the Green Building Certification Institute under the standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council. Gold status was awarded to six buildings across the United States in the most recent certification and Union Bank’s San Diego headquarters building is one of only two in California.
“We are proud to receive such a prestigious recognition as the LEED Gold certification,” said Kathy Breed, vice president in Union Bank’s Environmental Stewardship Department. “This award recognizes our environmental contribution to the San Diego community and reflects our commitment to being a socially responsible organization.”
LEED certification of the 25-story, 237,000-sf building, which was constructed in 1966, was based on a number of green design and construction features and policy changes that positively impact the building, its occupants, and the broader community including:
Water Efficiency: Low-flush toilets and low-flow water fixtures were installed reducing water-use by approximately 35 percent, saving 770,000 gallons of water per year.
Material Selection: Compact fluorescent bulbs and energy efficient lighting with reduced or no mercury content were installed, which is good for the environment as well as occupant safety.
Indoor/Exterior Environmental Quality: A green cleaning program was implemented and only environmentally friendly low-Volatile Organic Compounds may now be used. Policies, procedures, and trainings have been implemented to minimize the impact of cleaning materials on the health of building occupants and protect the environment.
The improvements to the facility were implemented by Union Bank’s facilities management vendor, Jones Lang LaSalle, a financial and professional services firm specializing in real estate services and investment management.
“Sustainable operating policies, practices, and energy efficiency improvements that contributed to this certification also align with Union Bank’s corporate commitment to sustainability, and are an important part of our mandate in managing the facilities,” said Joy Cole, General Manager of Jones Lang LaSalle. “We see more and more evidence that sustainability in buildings not only reduces operating costs but also fosters enhanced employee well-being and job satisfaction.”
About UnionBanCal Corporation & Union Bank, N.A.
Headquartered in San Francisco, UnionBanCal Corporation is a financial holding company with assets of $84 billion at June 30, 2010. Its primary subsidiary, Union Bank, N.A., is a full-service commercial bank providing an array of financial services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, and major corporations. The bank operated 396 banking offices in California, Oregon, Washington and Texas as well as two international offices, on June 30, 2010. UnionBanCal Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd., which is a subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. Union Bank is a proud member of the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG, NYSE:MTU), one of the world's largest financial organizations. Visit www.unionbank.com for more information.
About LEED
LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.
Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) , LEED provides building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.
