August 14, 2008

American Assets Plans To Beat 2030 Challenge

American Assets Inc. announced plans for a redevelopment project in Novato, Calif. show carbon-neutrality could be achieved in less than 10 years, beating the performance targets of the 2030 Challenge.

The Commons at Mount Burdell will add nearly 800,000 square feet of uses to a 65-acre site, as well as upgrade 710,000 square feet of existing facilities. Green space will be preserved and expanded by nearly 15 percent through the removal of 15 acres of asphalt parking.

Strategies will be implemented to achieve LEED Platinum certification and the redevelopment will design its water, waste, and energy systems to achieve carbon neutrality by 2020.

American Assets CEO, John Chamberlain, says the technology has been available but most efforts have been hindered by ROI. But now, “our sustainability engineers are telling us that we are at a point where both environmental and financial ROI can be achieved relatively quickly,” said Chamberlain in a statement.

The company says that this is one of the first such efforts for a mixed-use commercial project in the U.S.

The 2030 Challenge was proposed by New Mexico architect Edward Mazria, who says all U.S. buildings can eliminate fossil-fuel-based energy by building smaller houses that requires less energy.

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