Business News and Economic News: Top Stories

Building steals the show at Green Leadership Gala

CoStar Group Translate This Article
8 November 2008

On 8 November 2008 CoStar Group reported: The innovative, environmentally-friendly, 'green' office building in Rockville, Maryland, built by the Tower Companies and Lerner Enterprises, was the venue for a recent awards ceremony for some of the real estate industry's most progressive green building advocates; the building itself [whose design is also based on the principles of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda, Vedic architecture] became the focus of much attention. It is a joy for Global Good News service to feature this news, which indicates the success of the life-supporting programmes Maharishi has designed to bring fulfilment to the field of business.

'The ceremony was hosted by Washington journalist Mark Bisnow in conjunction with the Abramson family, which runs real estate development firm The Tower Cos., and the Lerner Family, which operates the real estate company Lerner Enterprises . . .', the article said.

The real estate awards ceremony was held at 2000 Tower Oaks Boulevard, 'the ultra-green office building co-owned by Tower and Lerner' the article stated. '(It) was a compelling example of how exciting a LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] building can be.'

The article explained, 'The nine-story building, which serves as the headquarters for both Tower and Lerner, is registered for LEED Platinum, the highest level of certification offered in the U.S. Green Building Council's rating system.'*

The eco-friendly building features include:

• A living roof above the parking garage

• Open floorplans that let in natural light on each floor

• A CO2 monitoring system that controls the replacement of stale air with fresh outside air

• Kitchen cabinetry made from sustainable bamboo

• Kitchen countertops and carpets made from recycled, non-toxic materials.

• Office lights that brighten and dim automatically in response to natural light from the windows, and are automatically shut off at night

• An energy savings plan that uses 41 per cent less energy than standard office buildings; almost 50 per cent less water; and wind power, which Tower purchases through local utilities for all of its properties.

The article stated, 'The building also includes a touch of headiness that the Abramsons have become somewhat known for: Tower's office space has meditation** rooms, while a 30-foot long block of backlit, Chinese onyx greets visitors and radiates light throughout the lobby.'

The building has earned the Environmental Protection Agency's 'Designed to Earn the Energy Star' label, 'a tag for new buildings that do not yet qualify for the standard Energy Star label, which requires 12 months of utility bills', the article explained.

Jeffrey Abramson, a partner at Tower, said at the ceremony, 'A lot of companies are using green buildings as part of their corporate strategy' because energy-saving/health giving buildings will reduce costs and increase productivity.

Global Good News comment:

* The Tower Companies' 2000 Tower Oaks Boulevard combines the US Green Building Council's (USGBC) 'Designed to Meet LEED Platinum' criteria with principles of Maharishi Vedic Architecture. The company describes the new building as the largest commercial application of Fortune Creating(sm) architecture design principals in the world, which enhance tenants' health, productivity, and success.

** Many employees of The Tower Companies practise Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation Programme.
Every day Global Good News documents the rise of a better quality of life dawning in the world and highlights the need for introducing Natural Law based—Total Knowledge based—programmes to bring the support of Nature to every individual, raise the quality of life of every society, and create a lasting state of world peace.

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