Office Depot First to Achieve Volume LEED Pre-Certification

Delray Beach, Fla. Office Depot Tuesday announced that it has achieved volume pre-certification under the pilot Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Portfolio Program for its store prototype design from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).

“Office Depot is to be commended for this achievement,” said USGBC’s market development VP, Doug Gatlin. “And we are also grateful for their leadership participation in this initiative. The Portfolio Program pilot is breaking new ground for LEED and adding to our ability to scale green building’s immediate and measurable results at a much faster level.”

The office-supply retailer is the first company to have achieved this pre-certification for new construction. The first volume-certified Office Depot prototype to be built is located in Austin, Texas, and is scheduled to open late next month.

Office Depot was part of the first group of participants to become involved in the program. Part of the initiative involves piloting a volume-certification path to enable companies to integrate LEED attributes into a prototype design and apply it across multiple buildings.

“Office Depot has implemented a number of initiatives over the past couple of years to improve the energy efficiency of our stores and reduce our environmental footprint,” said Ed Costa, VP of construction, Office Depot. “Achieving volume pre-certification through LEED affirms our leadership position in the retail industry, as well as in general building construction.”

The Office Depot pre-certified LEED prototype includes solar-tracking skylights, solar panels, energy-efficient T5 lighting, a reflective white roof, a non-asphalt concrete parking lot, recycled carpet, high-efficiency HVAC systems and light sensors.