Chicago's FBI Building Earns First Platinum LEED-EBOM Certification

The FBI’s Chicago regional office recently became the world’s first building to be certified Platinum by the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (LEED-EBOM) rating system, earning 74 of 92 possible points.

The 430,000 ft2 (40,000 m2) building, which opened in 2006, is just the first of several projects that the owner, USAA Real Estate Company, has submitted for Platinum LEED-EBOM certification. When asked about the company’s motivations for greening its real estate portfolio, director of facilities Rick Pospisil explained that it’s a “triple bottom line” approach: improving environmental performance, improving spaces where tenants live and work, and saving money. “If you improve your performance, you’re going to save money,” he said. “Why wouldn’t all buildings do this?”