Today, Duke Realty and Kane Realty announced that they are working to make Captrust Tower at North Hills the first speculative office building in Raleigh to go green – a.ka. achieve the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification for New Construction by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

They’re aiming for Silver certification, which is the third highest in LEED’s scale of greenness, after Platinum and Gold, but higher than Certified. To put things into perspective, there are only about 100 buildings in the world that have achieved Platinum certification, according to the News & Observer. Kane and Duke expect Captrust Tower to earn this certification based on features such as:

• Energy management, including high-efficiency heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems. A new Web-based project management system will enable online monitoring, adjustment of temperature controls and demand control ventilation.
• A construction waste management program with a goal to divert more than 75% of waste from the landfill.
• Water efficient plumbing fixtures.
• Use of regionally manufactured and recycled materials
• Use of only certified wood products recognized by the Forest Stewardship Council.
• Specifying low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) emitting construction materials to improve indoor air quality and occupant health.
• Access to mass transit and preferred parking for fuel efficient vehicles.
• Highly reflective roof surfaces for a reduction in heat island effect caused by development.

This is good press for Kane Realty, Duke Realty and North Hills/Midtown Raleigh, and it’s a good thing to do. It’s also nice that they’re spending more money and doing this in a time when many companies are pinching pennies and cutting costs due to the state of the economy.

After breaking ground in March 2008, construction on the Captrust Tower is well underway. The foundation concrete has been poured and crews are working on the building superstructure. The building is scheduled to open in fall 2009 and will be the tallest building on the I-440 beltline.

In addition to 300,000 square feet of Class A office space, the first floor will feature 28,000 square feet of restaurants and retail, including an upscale restaurant.

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