About the Building

The Landmark @ One Market is a 419,371 ft2 (38,961 m2) 11-story building considered to be one of San Francisco’s most architecturally distinct and historic properties. Opened in 1917, The Landmark is located in San Francisco’s famed Financial District right at the Ferry Building and was originally the headquarters of the Southern Pacific Railroad. The building underwent a major renovation from 1998 to 2000 to upgrade it from a Class 3 to a Class A building. The renovation included all building systems as well as a major seismic retrofit which expanded and changed the shape of the building. The building was purchased in 2005 by American Assets Trust. Current tenants include Salesforce, Autodesk and Google.

The Landmark shows the sustainability performance that existing buildings, including those with historic features, can deliver. The brick façade is not only beautiful, it plays a key role in maintaining comfortable temperatures in the building without requiring as much energy than newer, hermetically sealed buildings. The operable windows not only provide ventilation, they also deliver health and well-being benefits to tenants by giving the vast majority of the floor space access to natural light. Water consumption is metered at the building level and monitored.

Operational energy efficiency for a building of this type is above average, earning 31 of 40 possible credits. Energy usage is monitored closely through an advanced BMS with intelligent capabilities to provide suggestions for improved performance. Building management provides building user information that highlights sustainability performance and requirements and has green leases in place with qualitative targets. Maintenance policies are proactive and includes a broad range of building components.

Why did the building undergo BREEAM certification?

The American Assets team has a strong sustainable core values and are always looking for ways to validate and verify they are carrying out best practice.

Getting BREEAM certification allows us to compare ourselves in the global real estate world, beyond just the US market. When I have travelled around the world, I’ve seen the BREEAM plaque on buildings in many countries and I’m proud to have the building I’ve looked after for over 20 years join their ranks. -Chris Malabed, Chief Engineer 

Benefits of assessing to BREEAM

The BREEAM process was more rigorous than anything we had done previously but it provided so much value. We learned new things about the building, and it got us thinking about sustainability in new ways. It also helped us identify the areas where we are excel and it’s helping us think about the next steps for improvement. -Chris Malabed, Chief Engineer