LAKE FOREST, CA—LEED certification is more feasible in California than anywhere else, Healthy Buildings' group manager and resident LEED expert Alicia Chu tells GlobeSt.com. The firm recently completed a project for the South Coast Plaza – Office Division, and two of the buildings—Park Tower and Plaza Tower—achieved a Platinum LEED rating—the first in Orange County. We spoke exclusively with Chu about the difficulty of achieving this certification and what LEED means for the industry today.

GlobeSt.com: How difficult is it to achieve LEED certification for new office buildings in Orange County?

Chu: With the state raising the bar on building codes, LEED certification is more feasible in California than anywhere else. Orange County has become the home to any global corporations with corporate sustainability goals, and discerning tenants who want to work in LEED-certified buildings are driving demand in Orange County. If LEED certification is being sought on existing buildings, the process can take nine to 14 months. If LEED certification is integrated starting from the new-building design process, the path to certification is much easier and ideally does not add any time to the project timeline. In either case, using high-performance LEED consultants that have a record of getting platinum certifications simplifies the process significantly.

GlobeSt.com: Are more developers trying to achieve LEED certification or are they more likely to opt for sustainability measures that are less expensive?

Chu: It depends on the type of building and the vision of the building owner. LEED is the most widely known and accepted green-building certification and one of the most comprehensive rating systems when it comes to sustainable buildings at this point in our industry. Roughly 40% of non-residential new construction buildings pursue LEED certification, according to USGBC. LEED certification is the mark of a high-performance building, and building owners who want to make it known that their buildings operate at peak performance opt for LEED certification.

GlobeSt.com: What about the South Coast Plaza project stands out the most for you?

Chu: The South Coast Plaza – Office Division projects are iconic to Orange County in that they were not only designed by one of the 10 most influential living American architects, César Pelli, but also because they are the first buildings in the county to achieve LEED Platinum certification within the Existing Buildings rating system. The team who manages these buildings embraces an ongoing commitment and is driven to ensure the sustainability components of certification are carried through each aspect of their operations and management. At the end of the day, it's the operators and managers of an office building who really make a green building a sustainable building.

GlobeSt.com: What else should our readers know about LEED certification or sustainable development in Orange County?

Chu: LEED certification is a commitment that building owners and facility management teams pursue to demonstrate their commitment to maintaining the highest-performing class-A buildings for their tenants. Sustainability is ingrained in the facility-management team's culture; getting LEED certified is also a yearly event.