Environmental Leader

At 58 stories, the Comcast Center in downtown Philadelphia has earned the title of tallest LEED certified building in the United States.

The building recently earned LEED Gold status for its core and shell, reports Inhabitat.

The building, which stands 975 feet tall, takes advantage of high performance glass and sunscreens, as well as louvers in the atria to maximize use of daylight.

The windows block 60 percent of the sun’s heat while allowing in 70 percent of the daylight, helping reduce lighting and cooling expenses.

Newer, high-efficiency water fixtures should improve water efficiency by 40 percent, meanwhile. Waterless urinals alone will save 1.2 million gallons a year, reports the Philadelphia Business Journal.

While tall, the Comcast Center is far from the largest building undergoing energy efficiency retrofits.

The Empire State Building and the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) are in the midst of multi-year retrofits.

And in Taiwan, the Taipei 101 is set to do undergo an energy efficiency retrofit that would make it the world’s tallest “green” building, reports Inhabitat.