Rising Realty Estimates 1.2 Million Gallons Saved Per Year by Diverting Groundwater to Cooling Towers
LABBC CASE STUDY
PROPERTY OWNER
Rising Realty Partners
PROPERTY TYPE
Office
SQUARE FEET
769,933
14.9%
Water Reduction in 2017
2018 Innovation Awards: Water Efficiency Project of the Year Finalist
“One million gallons of drinking water is a big number, especially in a drought. This project was important to us from both environmental and social responsibility aspects.”
MARC GITTLEMAN
EVP - Property Services Property, Construction, Energy & Telecom Management
PROPERTY DESCRIPTION
1200 West 7th Street is one of the premier mission critical, telecommunications, co- location and data center facilities in the country. This Tier III data center facility is designed and built with state-of-the-art mission critical infrastructure with 24/7 on-site engineering and security support.
SUSTAINABILITY GOALS
Making an environmental impact with projects is one part of what Rising calls the Rising Impact Strategy which also considers social and technological impacts.
Rising focuses on investing in three important environment effects and certifications:
Rising strives for each asset to be Zero Net Energy
Rising focuses on attaining LEED Certification
Rising focuses on achieving the best Energy Star rating.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
1200 West 7th Street has a unique presence of naturally occurring groundwater that is clean and drinkable about 20 feet below street level. In the past, this water would flow into a sump and then would be discharged to a sanitary sewer system. This inefficiency was resolved by diverting the groundwater from the sump to the cooling tower. This project estimates approximately 1.2 million gallons in savings per year.
2017 PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
Diverted groundwater for cooling tower make up.
Installed drought tolerant landscaping and drip irrigation.
Raised fan room setpoints and increased usage of air side economizers. Reduced load on chillers and cooling towers, resulting in less water evaporation.
Installation of high efficiency boilers with smaller make-up water requirements.
PROJECTS COMPLETED
BEFORE 2017
Rising purchased the building in mid-2016, so many larger scale efficiency projects were not implemented until 2017.
Low-flow urinals installed.
Automatic faucets and flush valves replaced throughout building.
Implemented a waterless car was amenity.
PRO TIPS
“Rising's mission is to create great places and have a positive impact - not only on the community but on the environment as well. By working together as a team, we were able to fix an inefficient system and create true value at this project. “
TYSON STRUTZENBERG
COO & EVP, Asset Management and Development
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
Consulted with equity partners, who shared similar sustainability goals. This specific project’s cost was virtually negligible, aside from the time and human resources it required, so buy-in from equity partners was a technicality.
Tenants care about their work environment and enjoyed lower operating expenses thanks to the projects’ success.
INNOVATION
Upgrading systems and obtaining certifications to reduce a building’s impact on the environment not only produces utility bill savings, but also creates value, maximizes a return on investment, increases operational efficiency, and achieves cost savings and tenant satisfaction.
