On February 28, Pittsburgh’s Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens and BRE Global announced that the Center for Sustainable Landscapes has been certified using the BREEAM USA green building standard for existing buildings.

The CSL is the first building in the United States to achieve a BREEAM Outstanding rating and the first building certified under BREEAM in Pennsylvania.

The achievement will be celebrated with the presentation of a BREEAM plaque and a reception at the Center for Sustainable Landscapes on March 10 at 10:00 a.m.

BREEAM-- Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology-- standard was developed in 1990 by BRE Global, the first assessment method for buildings in the world.

Today BREEAM is internationally recognized as the most comprehensive and holistic environmental assessment method, with over 2,280,000 registered projects and 570,000+ certified buildings worldwide across 85 countries.

The Center for Sustainable Landscapes (CSL) is a 24,350-square-foot education, research and administration facility at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, a public garden attraction in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

Designed and built to generate all of its own energy while treating and reusing all water captured on-site, the CSL is the first facility in the world to meet four of the world’s highest green construction standards-- The Living Building Challenge, WELL Building Platinum, SITES Platinum and LEED® Platinum-- and it now adds the distinctive BREEAM Outstanding In-Use rating to its resume.

“At Phipps, we believe that public gardens have a role to play in mitigating the challenge of climate change, and we believe the answer lies in regenerative thinking that extends to our buildings, programs and operations,” said Richard Piacentini, Phipps’ president and CEO. “The achievement of the BREEAM rating helps us to communicate the value of green building to new audiences while placing us in the company of some of the world’s most innovative sustainable building projects.”

BREEAM In-Use is used to assess and rate the performance of existing buildings around the world.

BREEAM USA In-Use has been adapted to reflect differences in American standards and practices while still providing the global comparability and rigor that distinguishes the BREEAM standard.

Certification is achieved through independent, third-party assessment conducted on-site, giving stakeholders’ confidence about their building’s performance and recognition that a building meets, and continues to meet, the robust BREEAM In-Use sustainability standards.

3R Sustainability supported the Phipps team throughout the assessment process and the certification was carried out by BREEAM USA In-Use licensed Assessor Julia Craighill of Ensight Consulting.

Shamir Ghumra, Director of BREEAM at BRE Global said, “This is a significant achievement and another milestone for BREEAM in America. The Phipps team, working closely with Julia Craighill at Ensight Consulting, have gone beyond best practice and have really set the bar in terms of the BREEAM rating achieved. With so many visitors coming to Phipps every year we hope that this certification will inspire others to do the same.”

To learn more about the Conservatory and the Center and the programs they offer, visit the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens website and Center for Sustainable Landscapes webpage.

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[Posted: February 28, 2020]

3/2/2020