Ashforth Pacific’s owned and managed property, The Orrick Building, captured  three industry awards this April.  The property was honored with the prestigious San Francisco Building Owners and Managers Association’s (BOMA) Earth Award, the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Awards for Excellence: The Americas competition and the San Francisco 24x7 Energy Challenge.

“Winning three awards is a great honor.  The awards represent the hard work of everyone involved. One of our corporate social responsibility goals has always been to provide the best service with the most efficient use of resources with little or no impact on the environment. This award, along with numerous other awards Ashforth has received on both coasts over time, confirms our commitment to practicing and promoting sustainability, conservation and awareness,” said Scott Langley, CEO of Ashforth Pacific, Inc. 

A total of 30 Class-A office buildings in San Francisco applied for BOMA’s Earth Award and three in each category (small/medium/large) were recognized as winners.   The Orrick Building, a 10-story, 503,576 square- foot- building, won first place in the medium commercial property category (300,000sf to 600,000sf), which was the most competitive category with 16 applicants. In 2009 Orrick took second place in the medium category.

The BOMA Earth Awards recognize building owners, operators and suppliers who create “greener” working environments and demonstrate responsible environmental stewardships.  Blake Peterson, Ashforth’s senior property management for Orrick explained, “They are awarded to buildings on the basis of resource conservation and environmental criteria that target recycling/waste reduction, energy conservation, water conservation, toxics/air quality, transportation and education.” 

The Orrick Building which is part of Foundry Square was also recognized as a winner of ULI’s Awards for Excellence: The Americas competition.   Foundry Square is a four-building, 1.6-million-square-foot commercial development in San Francisco’s Transbay District that revitalizes an area that historically lacked pedestrian street life and significant public open space.  There were ten outstanding developments from the Americas selected from more than 170 entries.

Widely recognized as the land use industry’s most prestigious recognition program, ULI’s Awards for Excellence recognize the full development process of a project, not just its architecture or design.  The criteria for the awards include leadership, contribution to the community, innovations, public/private partnership, environmental protection and enhancement, response to societal needs, and financial viability. ULI recognizes best practice through the awards to promote better land use and development.

Orrick’s third award was the San Francisco 24x7 Energy Challenge.  The property took first place in the Greatest Improvement category – awarded for the greatest percentage gain in energy performance rating in one year. The San Francisco 24x7 Energy Challenge is an effort to make everyday changes that reduce energy consumption and combat global warming.  Mayor Gavin Newsom and partner organizations – including BOMA San Francisco – have renewed the challenge to save energy in commercial buildings.  The challenge identifies and celebrates leaders in energy efficiency in local offices, hotels and retail stores. 

The Orrick Building is located at 405 Howard Street in the South of Market Financial District in Downtown San Francisco. Major tenants include Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLC, Moody’s KMV, and BlackRock.  Ashforth’s division, Ashforth Pacific of California, LLC oversees management and daily operations at the building.

http://www.theorrickbuilding.com