Two NorthWest Crossing Buildings Registered for LEED Certification

NorthWest Crossing, Bend's largest mixed-use community, today announced that two upcoming buildings planned as part of its "Neighborhood Center" have been registered with the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Core and Shell Program. The two buildings will be located on NW Crossing Drive, directly across from the NorthWest Crossing Sales Office. They are being designed by Steele Associates, a LEED-accredited architectural firm.

"As a community, we have always had a strong commitment to sustainability and environmentally friendly practices," said David Ford, general manager for NorthWest Crossing. "We already require all our homes to be certified by Earth Advantage, so certifying our commercial buildings with the LEED program was a logical step for us."

Currently, there are only four certified LEED Core & Shell-or LEED-CS-projects in the entire United States, and none in Oregon. Nationwide, there are 99 registered LEED-CS projects, with only four registered projects-other than the NorthWest Crossing buildings-in Oregon.

The United States Green Building Council's LEED Green Building Rating System® is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. The LEED-CS program is fairly new. Broadly defined, core and shell construction covers base building elements, such as the structure, envelope and building-level systems, such as central HVAC. LEED-CS evaluates building projects where the owner does not control the interior design and fit-out.

Ground-breaking on the buildings is tentatively scheduled for summer of 2006, with an estimated 10-month construction period. One of the buildings, located on the southeast corner of NW Crossing and Mt. Washington Drive, is planned to house a single-level 3,000 square foot restaurant. The second building, directly to the east on NW Crossing Drive, will be approximately 12,600 square feet with a mix of lower level retail and upper level office space.