SAN FRANCISCO, June 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Digital Realty Trust, Inc. , the world's largest wholesale datacenter provider, has earned LEED-CI Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for its 1500 Space Park facility in Santa Clara, California. The datacenter is the first building in Santa Clara to earn a LEED Gold certification. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System(TM) is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. LEED(R) for Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI) is the USGBC's certification program for high-performance green interiors.
"The LEED certification program provides a valuable model for developing datacenters in ways that are energy efficient as well as sustainable in terms of materials inputs, re-use of existing structural elements and other critical areas. The LEED-CI certification for 1500 Space Park recognizes our holistic approach to making efficiency and sustainability key factors in the way we design, build and operate our facilities. Through the use of LEED standards combined with airside economization, we measured a PUE of 1.51 during the commissioning process, which validates the positive impact these practices can have on energy efficiency," said Jim Smith, CTO of Digital Realty Trust. "We use LEED guidelines as a best practice for our entire portfolio of datacenters, and we are proud to have earned the datacenter industry's first ever LEED Gold certification in 2007. We also have 10 additional datacenter projects currently in the LEED certification process, a sign of our commitment to energy efficiency and environmental sustainability."
A key element that contributed to this LEED-CI Gold certification is 1500 Space Park's use of airside economization, which reduces HVAC energy costs by utilizing cool external air as a complement to internal air cooling technologies while maintaining indoor air quality.
Smith added, "Northern California has a climate that makes airside economization an important tool for increasing energy efficiency in datacenters, making it a natural fit for 1500 Space Park. In addition to 1500 Space Park, we are utilizing airside economization at one of our other facilities in the area. We plan to continue using it in Silicon Valley and other markets where we can take advantage of the climate to increase efficiency and reduce our customers' energy costs while supporting their green IT initiatives."
"This datacenter is a milestone project in Santa Clara not only because it is the first LEED Gold-certified building in the city but also because it has taken full advantage of our Customer Directed Rebate Program for energy efficiency initiatives. This is a great model for other buildings because it shows how significant the cost savings can be when a company takes advantage of these programs," said Mary Medeiros McEnroe, Public Benefit Program Coordinator at Silicon Valley Power. "It is important for building owners to work with their utility on energy efficiency projects because there are rebate and incentive programs that can be a significant source of funding for the initiatives. Digital Realty Trust is a great example because they have collaborated closely with us from the very beginning and have been able to maximize the financial benefits for this project. We hope other companies follow in their footsteps and continue to make Santa Clara one of the most progressive cities in America for energy efficiency and collaboration between companies and their utility providers."
"Companies often undertake a datacenter project without considering how to make the datacenter efficient from both a financial and an environmental perspective," said Chris Crosby, Senior Vice President of Digital Realty Trust. "Designing facilities to LEED standards helps companies recognize that the design and construction of a datacenter is essential to reducing both capital and ongoing operational costs."
For more information about how to participate in Silicon Valley Power's energy efficiency and LEED rebate and incentive program, contact Mary Medeiros McEnroe at 408-615-5647 or visit http://www.siliconvalleypower.com/. For more information about LEED CI certification, visit http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=145.
About the U.S. Green Building Council
The U.S. Green Building Council is a nonprofit membership organization whose vision is a sustainable built environment within a generation. Its membership includes corporations, builders, universities, government agencies, and other nonprofit organizations. Since UGSBC's founding in 1993, the Council has grown to more than 17,000 member companies and organizations, a comprehensive family of LEED(R) green building rating systems, an expansive educational offering, the industry's popular Greenbuild International Conference and Expo (http://www.greenbuildexpo.org/), and a network of 78 local chapters, affiliates, and organizing groups. For more information, visit http://www.usgbc.org/.
About LEED
The LEED(R) (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System(TM) is a feature-oriented rating system that awards buildings points for satisfying specified green building criteria. The six major environmental categories of review include: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality and Innovation and Design. Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels of LEED green building certification are awarded based on the total number of points earned within each LEED category. LEED can be applied to all building types including new construction, commercial interiors, core & shell developments, existing buildings, homes, neighborhood developments, schools and retail facilities. Incentives for LEED are available at the state and local level and LEED has also been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and local governments, and interested private companies. For more information, visit http://www.usgbc.org/LEED.
About Digital Realty Trust, Inc.
Digital Realty Trust owns, acquires, redevelops, develops and manages technology-related real estate. The Company is focused on providing Turn-Key Datacenter(SM) and Powered Base Building(SM) datacenter solutions for domestic and international tenants across a variety of industry verticals ranging from information technology and internet enterprises, to manufacturing and financial services. Digital Realty Trust's 75 properties, excluding one property held as an investment in an unconsolidated joint venture, contain applications and operations critical to the day-to-day operations of technology industry tenants and corporate enterprise datacenter tenants. Comprising approximately 13.0 million square feet as of April 30, 2009, including 1.2 million square feet of space held for redevelopment, Digital Realty Trust's portfolio is located in 27 markets throughout Europe and North America. For additional information, please visit Digital Realty Trust's website at http://www.digitalrealtytrust.com/.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially, including statements related to the Company's use of efficient operating practices. These risks and uncertainties include the impact of the current deterioration in the global economy, including the turmoil in the financial and credit markets; the downturn of local economic conditions in our geographic markets; decreases in information technology spending, including as a result of economic slowdowns or recession; adverse economic or real estate developments in our industry or the industry sectors that we sell to; decreases in real estate valuations and resulting impairment charges; our dependence upon significant tenants; bankruptcy or insolvency of one or more major tenants or a significant number of smaller tenants; defaults on or non-renewal of leases by tenants; our failure to obtain necessary debt and equity financing for refinancing current debt obligations, undertaking or completing redevelopment, completing acquisitions or other purposes; increased interest rates and operating costs; our failure to repay debt when due or our breach of covenants or other terms contained in our loan documents; financial market fluctuations; changes in foreign currency exchange rates; our ability to manage our growth effectively; difficulty acquiring or operating properties in foreign jurisdictions; our failure to successfully operate acquired or redeveloped properties; risks related to joint venture investments, including as a result of our lack of control of certain of these investments; delays or unexpected costs in development or redevelopment of properties; decreased rental rates or increased vacancy rates; increased competition or available supply of data center space; inability to successfully redevelop and lease new properties and space held for redevelopment; difficulties in identifying properties to acquire and completing acquisitions; our inability to acquire off-market properties; our inability to comply with the rules and regulations applicable to public companies; our failure to maintain our status as a REIT; possible adverse changes to tax laws; restrictions on our ability to engage in certain business activities; environmental uncertainties and risks related to natural disasters; changes in foreign laws and regulations, including those related to taxation and real estate ownership and operation; changes in real estate and zoning laws; and increases in real property tax rates. For a further list and description of such risks and uncertainties, see the reports and other filings by the Company with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
A. William Stein Pamela A. Matthews Chief Financial Officer and Investor/Analyst Information Chief Investment Officer Digital Realty Trust, Inc. Digital Realty Trust, Inc. +1 415-738-6500 +1 415-738-6500 Chris Crosby Sales & Technical Services Digital Realty Trust, Inc. +1 214-231-1350
Digital Realty Trust, Inc.
CONTACT: A. William Stein, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Investment
Officer, or Pamela A. Matthews, Investor/Analyst Information, both
+1-415-738-6500, or Chris Crosby, Sales & Technical Services, +1-214-231-1350,
all of Digital Realty Trust, Inc.
Web Site: http://www.digitalrealtytrust.com/
