In a green building tour de force, Johnson Controls' corporate campus in Glendale has earned four LEED-Platinum ratings -- the most awarded to a single site in the history of U.S. Green Building Council.

The building housing Sodexo's North American headquarters also received certification at highest level possible according to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards maintained by the USGBC.

The two firms announced their certifications in the past week.

Sodexo is the anchor tenant in the Platinum-certified existing building in Gaithersburg, Md., that is owned by LaSalle Investment Management and operated by Transwestern. In addition to the rating from the USGBC, the structure also received Energy Star recognition for a fourth consecutive year.

The building was awarded a LEED-Certified rating in February 2009 under Transwestern's portfolio program and earned the top rating by pursuing recertification -- a process that emphasizes building performance.

For Johnson Controls, recognition at the LEED-Platinum level validates the company's extensive efforts to make its 33-acre corporate complex, which includes 306,359 square feet of new and renovated office space, a model of resource efficiency.

The company hosted a visit by GreenerBuildings.com and other media to the campus in Glendale, Wisc., last year.

From a green roof, thin-film solar panels and skylights to a ground-mounted solar array and a subterranean cistern that captures rainwater and snowmelt, the site is a showcase of sustainable design and technology -- including many of the Johnson Controls products that are geared to making buildings more efficient, more comfortable and safer.

At heart of the complex -- and Johnson Control's other facilities -- is the firm's Metasys building management system. The system enables users to harness and manage all control activities across company facilities.

The four platinum certifications cover a site that consists of two existing buildings totaling 160,000 square feet of space that was renovated for corporate headquarters and new construction in the form of a 114,599-square-foot headquarters for the company's Power Solutions business, a 31,700-square-foot building with a cafeteria, a fitness center and meetings rooms, and a four-level parking garage that can accommodate more than 400 vehicles with specially allotted space for plug-in hybrids.

Energy use at the complex has dropped 21 percent even though the amount of occupied space was doubled during the renovation, the company says.

Renewable energy generated by the solar power systems has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by more than 375 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent annually.

Water consumption has fallen by 595,000 gallons a year as a result of rainwater harvesting and recycling and use of low-flow fixtures.

Johnson Controls' list of other environmental elements at the site includes:

• A geo-thermal heat pump that is linked to 272 wells, each 300 feet deep. The system uses moderate subsurface temperatures and mass to enhance heating and cooling efficiency.
• Solar thermal water heating technology in addition to the 31,115 square-foot ground-mounted solar photovoltaic array and 14,335 square-foot of rooftop solar film.
• Skylights, a building envelope with many windows, and window shades that automatically adjust depending on the level and path of sunlight.
•  Smart lighting controls that facilitate harvesting of natural daylight and reduce the need for artificial lighting.
• A 3-acre parking lot resurfaced with permeable paving blocks, which support the collection of rainwater and snowmelt.
• Controls at each workstation that enable employees to adjust the environment within their personal space. Within set parameters, employees can customize temperature, lighting and airflow. They also can activate a white noise option to mask sounds in their immediate work area. The control systems automatically power down when employees leave their workspace for more than 10 minutes.

Image of Sodexo headquarters courtesy of the company. All others courtesy of Johnson Controls.