Citadel Environmental Services, Inc. will be awarded the LEED Platinum rating by the U.S. Green Building Council during a grand opening and award ceremony at its sustainably-remodeled office building.

GLENDALE, Calif. - Citadel Environmental Services, Inc. will be awarded the LEED Platinum rating by the U.S. Green Building Council during a grand opening and award ceremony at its sustainably-remodeled office building.

The event will be held Wednesday, June 8, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at 1725 Victory Blvd. in Glendale.

The remodel of the 8,000-square-foot building - completed with contractor/LEED Consultant Shangri-La Construction and POLLACK architecture - has already proved good business sense for the company. The event's participants will present specific supporting information for the fiscally minded remodel, and the facility will be open for touring.

The newly appointed Mayor of Glendale Laura Friedman will participate in the event at approximately 10:45 a.m., along with Discovery Channel's Planet Green host Sarah Backhouse. Jeff Gould, Board Member of the U.S. Green Building Council's Los Angeles Chapter. A board member for the Valley Green Team will present the LEED Platinum award. Citadel, an environmental, health, safety, and sustainability consulting firm, was committed to a green retrofit for their newly-purchased 1973 building, for several reasons:

• Marketability: Citadel would use 4,000 square feet for its office and rent the other half. By remodeling green, they created a uniquely marketable space in the area.

• Integrity & Experience: Citadel wanted to emphasize that they practice what they sell, and expand their knowledge by experiencing the building process for themselves.

• Budget: Citadel wanted to see if they could do a sustainable remodel at the “traditional” remodel cost.

Driven by these ideas, the remodel has proved good business sense, while achieving the highest level of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. Citadel management is enjoying reductions in operating costs, energy use, water use, increased employee satisfaction, reduced carbon footprint, and tremendous positive feedback.

“Sustainable construction makes good business sense on a number of levels. Our project is proof of that,” said Citadel CEO Loren Witkin, REA, CAC, LEED AP. “Further, I believe that sustainable facilities are at the heart of good corporate governance and allow stakeholders to identify businesses that truly have a value system as opposed to those that talk a good game.” Citadel's remodel project is a case study proving that sustainable remodels can be accomplished at the budget of a “traditional” remodel - with the right team in place and a keen understanding of all the potential green building incentives, both nationally and locally.

Shangri-La led the team that also included POLLACK architecture and SideMark.

“Shangri-La Construction has once again demonstrated that retrofitting can be a smart and viable option to upgrade and redevelop aging properties of all sizes,” said Andy Meyers, CEO, Shangri-La Construction. “Shangri-La offers organizations strategic sustainable construction design and build services, and it is our holistic and comprehensive team approach that made it possible to complete Citadel's LEED Platinum certified retrofit on schedule and at a cost comparable to traditional construction.”

The team worked closely to accomplish a long list of green-building improvements. Highlights include:

• Maximum use of natural light: skylights installed, primary dependence on daylight vs. lights, and every seat in office has access to outside view.

• New energy efficient double-paned exterior windows and storefronts.

• New packaged air handling systems (SER-14 units), which are 37 percent more efficient.

• New water-efficient interior plumbing and bathroom fixtures reduce usage by 62 percent.

• Green Seal certified furniture systems (contains high amount of recycled content).

• 120 solar panels provide 45,000 khw per year, enough to power the entire building (Citadel and tenant), and net meter an additional 16 percent back to Glendale.

• Native, drought-tolerant landscaping with temporary drip irrigation system.

• New energy-efficient lighting design requires 38.5 percent less power aesthetic.

• Focus on a 500-mile radius for sourcing over 20 percent of its materials.

Citadel even managed to salvage a historic mural of the Three Stooges that existed from the prior building tenant, the licensing arm of that well known comedy team. It now resides as a wall in the kitchen/break room.

Citadel Environmental Services Inc.'s LEED Platinum certification is a prime example that sustainability is scalable and makes sound economic sense,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “Shangri-La Construction continues to redefine the green building sector with an emphasis on cost efficiency through true partnership and collaboration that yields the best combination of sustainable features, design aesthetics and operational savings; regardless of the size of the project.”

In addition to being the first LEED project to receive Platinum certification in the city of Glendale, upon certification, Citadel's building was also the first LEED CI project to receive Platinum certification in the Tri-City area of Glendale, Pasadena & Burbank; one of 10 in the state of California; and one of 89 in the country. For more information, visit www.citadelenvironmental.com.