Minnesota facility awarded LEED EB O&M Silver rating SHAKOPEE, Minn., Sept. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) has awarded a LEED Silver designation to the BASF Construction Chemicals - Building Systems headquarters and office/research complex located in Shakopee, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. This is the first BASF building to earn LEED Certification and only the third building to earn LEED EB O&M certification in Minnesota. LEED EB O&M stands for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design for Existing Buildings Operations & Maintenance. Developed and administered by the USGBC, this rating system helps building owners and operators identify and improve ongoing operations and maintenance of existing commercial and institutional buildings. The certification system rewards current best practices and provides an outline for buildings to use less energy, water and natural resources while improving the indoor environment; with the goal of maximizing operational efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts. LEED for Existing Buildings addresses whole-building cleaning and maintenance issues (including chemical use), recycling programs, exterior maintenance programs, and systems upgrades. A Silver Certification verifies that BASF has achieved significant improvements in energy efficiency and water use; and developed and implemented programs to dramatically reduce waste to landfill, encourage and facilitate sustainable purchasing, and improve the indoor environmental quality of the building.
