On August 30, 2010 Sony Pictures Entertainment announced that it has been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification. The studio was awarded for its Lot and Office Transformation (LOT) Project by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The two new buildings responsible for the certification are each 100,000 square feet and named after Jack Cohn and Harry Cohn. Both were constructed along with a parking structure located on the historic lot based in Culver City, California.
The LEED Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for evaluating water, energy and atmosphere efficiency; material and resource selection and indoor environmental quality of sites for sustainability. The buildings were designed by Gensler Architecture with developer Georgetown Company and general contractor CW driver.
Elements that were rated positively by USGBC include:
- The use of local and recycled building materials as well as diverting over 93 percent (16,128 tons) of construction waste material from landfills.
- An onsite filtration system for storm water runoff and low-flow toilets and urinals.
- The use of low-emitting carpeting, paint, sealants, adhesives and wall coverings.
- Motion detector lights and energy efficient light bulbs.
- “Green Housekeeping” building maintenance standards.
- Preferred parking for low-emitting and fuel efficient vehicles as well as car pools and van pools.
- A state of the art central cooling plant.
Sony Pictures is the first and only studio to achieve ISO4001 certification (the international standard for managing an organization’s impact on the environment). Since 2001, the studio has been pursuing sustainable practices in production, consumer products, employee programs, and community outreach.
Kristen McFarland | @cinestressKristen is passionate about animal rights and film. She has a degree in electronic media and spends her time working as a sideshow performer and a photographer.
Photo Credit: cc: flickr.com/photos/laughingsquid
