Thornton Tomasetti provides sustainability consulting for largest LEED Volume certification outside North America

Stockholm — The largest LEED Volume certification outside North America has been awarded to Vasakronan, Sweden’s largest property owner, with the help of Thornton Tomasetti, the international engineering consulting firm. The Thornton Tomasetti sustainability team managed the LEED Existing Building Operations + Maintenance (EB:OM) process for Vasakronan, acting as a liaison with the Green Building Certification Institute, facilitating the initial sustainable design charrette, developing the EB:OM prototype, and hosting a series of workshops and reviews.

LEED Volume certification meets the needs of companies and organizations that are ready to apply LEED across a portfolio of buildings. Using this option streamlines the LEED certification process by focusing on similarities in management, operations and delivery. Together with Vasakronan, Thornton Tomasetti was able to leverage these consistencies across a portfolio of buildings of various ages, construction types, and primary functions.

The Thornton Tomasetti team worked with Vasakronan to certify two of its mixed-use commercial portfolios — a total of 48 buildings — with LEED EB:OM in just one year. Colin Schless of Thornton Tomasetti was the project manager for the endeavor. The properties, which total 12 million square feet and account for 53 percent of Vasakronan’s portfolio, have recently been certified LEED EB:OM, making this the largest LEED Volume certification outside of North America. The project was completed in 2014.

Using systems to track the existing water, energy and resource usage of Vasakronan’s existing buildings, Thornton Tomasetti’s sustainability team was able to consult on ways to reduce the portfolio’s consumption by 30 percent.

“Being able to say that our firm worked on the largest volume certification outside North America is such an honor,” said Gunnar Hubbard, AIA, LEED Fellow, principal and building sustainability practice leader, Thornton Tomasetti. “Our original projection was to complete the consulting and receive EB:OM for more than 50 percent of Vasakronan’s portfolio in one year, and we did. The hard work from all parties involved and great results measured by the GCBI are a real testament to the strength of Thornton Tomasetti’s sustainability practice.”

Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and founding chairman, U.S. Green Building Council, said, “To witness such a milestone in sustainability is to see the true impact that our work is having on the lives of those around the world. Vasakronan and Thornton Tomasetti are leaders in the green building movement, working hard to pave the way for a healthy environment and bright future. We applaud this significant achievement and we’re confident that others will be inspired by their leadership."