Why did this building undergo BREEAM Certification?

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 Autodesk and Google.

For American Assets Trusts, the goal was for The Landmark building to show sustainability performance that existing buildings, including those with historic features, can deliver.

Certifying to BREEAM USA In-Use validated and helped to progress the sustainability initiatives at The Landmark, while also allowing the property to benchmark itself in the global real estate market.

“We are proud of our achievement in earning the first BREEAM USA certification in San Francisco for The Landmark @ One Market and are committed to the strong stewardship of our community and the environment. We hope that in sharing our sustainability knowledge, our communities and neighbors will adopt changes that have an overall positive impact on the environment.” Ernest Rady, Chairman, President and CEO American Assets Trust

Green Strategy and Environmental Features

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.

What value does certification bring to the development?

Jose Guevara , Senior Property Manager at American Assets Trust “Third party verification sets BREEAM apart from other standards. Having the Assessor come on site to make sure that management is delivering the level of performance we say we are gives the building team the credit they deserve and assures ownership we are delivering value as promised”

Chris Malabed, Chief Engineer “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.”

What benefits does BREEAM give you?

Jose Guevara , Senior Property Manager at American Assets Trust “Sustainability is top-of-mind for our properties, and we have always looked for ways to improve upon building performance through innovative research and environmental programs. BREEAM helped us to look at our sustainability performance through a new, broader lens, and allowed us to enhance opportunities for improvement”

Chris Malabed, Chief Engineer “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 excel and it’s helping us think about the next steps for improvement.”