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Latest Cherokee Project Goes from Green to Platinum
Private equity firm's
headquarters is first LEED Platinum project in North Carolina
RALEIGH, N.C., Nov. 5
/PRNewswire/ -- Cherokee, a private equity firm that
specializes in the sustainable redevelopment of
environmentally impaired properties worldwide, received
Platinum certification under the U.S. Green Building Council's
(USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
green building rating system for its new corporate
headquarters.
The firm's Platinum-certified
headquarters is in a hundred-year-old historic building in
downtown Raleigh, N.C. Cherokee worked with local groups,
Tise-Kiester Architects, Empire Hardhat Construction, Carter &
Burgess and Thompson Consulting to rehabilitate the former
furniture warehouse into an innovative, award-winning, green
building that is fitted with hundreds of environmentally
responsible and high performance features.
"As a company that is deeply
committed to environmental responsibility, sustainability and
urban revitalization, it is important that we were able to set
an example with our own corporate headquarters," said Thomas
F. Darden, CEO for Cherokee. "We are very proud that our
efforts have been certified by the USGBC and that we now join
a highly exclusive group of LEED Platinum projects."
Cherokee's new office is one
of only 61 LEED Platinum projects in the world and the first
ever in North Carolina. Only 6 percent of the LEED- certified
projects worldwide are designated with Platinum status.
Moreover, Cherokee was excited to learn that its headquarters
is only one of a few known historic renovations worldwide that
have earned this distinct honor and the first LEED-certified
building in the city of Raleigh.
The new facility incorporates
energy-saving concepts such as a highly insulated, reflective
roof to reduce heat gain, ENERGY STAR-certified office
equipment and efficient lighting systems; water-saving
features including efficient faucets and waterless urinals;
and healthy indoor air quality features that include zero- or
low-VOC paints, adhesives, sealants, furniture and carpeting.
Additionally, important green decisions were made in regards
to proximity of the site to public transportation, and the
building includes showers and bike storage to encourage
additional alternative transit options. Moreover, 86 percent
of the construction and demolition waste-an estimated 25
tons-was diverted from the landfill.
The urban office space
retains 60 percent of the existing building interior, and when
compared to traditional buildings it reduces water use by
roughly 45 percent, energy use by 25 percent, and it provides
90 percent of occupants with natural light and views to the
outdoors. In addition, the office workstations use 82 percent
recycled content.
Cherokee manages a group of
investment funds that specialize in the reclamation and
revitalization of environmentally impaired real estate. The
firm partners with communities to help transform underutilized
properties making them clean and safe, and returning them to
productive use. Since the 1990s, Cherokee has acquired more
than 525 properties across North America and Western Europe
with an aggregate transaction value of $1.8 billion.
Additional information about Cherokee can be found at
http://www.cherokeefund.com/.
Source: Cherokee
CONTACT: David O'Neill of
Cherokee, +1-919-743-4613
Web site:
http://www.cherokeefund.com/
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