Hotels and Residences Portion of $2.5B L.A. Live Complex Earns LEED Silver Certification

Los Angeles–The Hotels and Residences at L.A. Live, the lodging and housing segment of the $2.5 billion L.A. Live residential and entertainment development in Los Angeles, has achieved LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The 4 million square-foot complex, developed by sports and entertainment company AEG, offers 224 luxury condominiums at The Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. LIVE within a 54-story mixed-use high-rise.

“It’s not surprising that AEG would embrace LEED certification,” Lance Williams, executive director of USGBC-LA, tells MHN. “It’s a smart strategy given economic challenges. They are saving money and increasing the long-term success of the property.” The project’s LEED certification status dovetails with the developer’s AEG 1EARTH program, which serves as the backbone of the company’s ongoing commitment to sustainability.

Occupying 2.5 acres at L.A. Live, the premier $550 million tower housing The Ritz-Carlton Residences also encompasses The Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles and the JW Marriott Los Angeles at L.A. LIVE hotels, together serving as a 1,001-guestroom convention center headquarters destination. Condo owners at the Ritz-Carlton can take advantage of the five-star offerings provided through the hotel, as well as such resident-exclusive amenities as a sky lobby with landscaped terrace, a state-of-the-art spa and fitness center, a board room and a media room. Sixty percent of the 224 condos are presently in escrow.

International architectural firm Gensler designed the 2 million square-foot skyscraper, which is green from ground to rooftop. Among the long list of features that paved the road to the upscale property’s LEED Silver certification are energy-efficient windows, water-saving plumbing fixtures and storm-water runoff filtering. To facilitate a decrease in heat island effects, the building incorporates cool roof installation, covered parking and water-efficient rooftop landscaping. The structure’s low-volatile organic compound materials help reduce in-air toxins. Additionally, recycling areas on every floor, as well as the loading dock, promote comprehensive recycling. And recycled materials, including recycled steel, were heavily utilized throughout.

“AEG is doing the right thing and engaging the right people in the process,” notes Williams. “The people the company has put together–consultants, advisers, Gensler, Webcor Builders–are looking not just at the hotel and residences, but the entire L.A. Live campus. There were a lot of forward-thinking minds involved in the project.”

AEG is hardly alone in taking an active role in supporting greener development in Los Angeles, and more and more companies in the building business are coming aboard. “We are seeing an increase in the pursuit of LEED certification as people are becoming more educated about the benefits,” Williams says. “People are becoming more comfortable with it because they are seeing the value in it; the competitive advantages it provides in terms of savings, marketing and increasing a climate of sustainability.”

California as a whole continues to be a leader in the green movement. “There are more buildings in the LEED pipeline in California than any other state historically.”