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Collins-Park-Garage-Receives-LEED-Gold-Certification_Final We are committed to providing excellent public service and safety to all who live, work and play in our vibrant, tropical, historic community. City of Miami Beach, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139, www.miamibeachfl.gov OFFICE OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS, Tel: 305.673.7575 PRESS RELEASE Melissa Berthier, Email: melissaberthier@miamibeachfl.gov Paul Scicchitano, Email: paulscicchitano@miamibeachfl.gov FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept. 21, 2021 The Iconic Collins Park Garage Achieves LEED Gold Certification — The landmark garage is the most sustainable parking center in Miami Beach — Miami Beach, FL – The City of Miami Beach announced it has achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification for its recently opened Collins Park Garage near The Bass museum. This landmark, seven-level garage with its crossword puzzle facade is a standout building that reduces heat island impacts, conserves water, and is designed with energy efficiency as a focus. “The Collins Park Garage is the first municipal LEED-certified parking facility in the City of Miami Beach,” explained City Manager Alina T. Hudak. “This further demonstrates how we incorporate sustainable design and construction practices in our critical infrastructure projects without sacrificing aesthetics.” Developed by the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council, the LEED certification establishes a framework for healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings for virtually all building types. Such buildings reduce negative environmental impacts and improve occupant health and well-being. The Collins Park Garage offers 513 parking spaces and approximately 16,000 gross square feet of retail space on the ground level. The project also includes closure of a portion of Liberty Avenue between 22 to 23 streets for a pedestrian plaza that provides a connection from the parking structure to Collins Park, Miami City Ballet and the Miami Beach Regional Library. Projects pursuing LEED certification earn points across design and construction elements that address sustainability issues. Based on the number of points achieved, a project then receives one of four LEED rating levels: Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum. The Collins Park Garage incorporates a number of sustainability elements, including: • Use of a so-called cool roof, which incorporates thermoplastic polyolefin to minimize the heat island effect. • Reduction of water use for outdoor purposes by 81% through a combination of native plants and smart irrigation. • Reduction of indoor potable water use by 47% through the installation of efficient plumbing fixtures in bathrooms, part of the garage and retail spaces. • Efficient HVAC and lighting energy systems, tight building envelope and facades as well as the use of highly reflective surfaces to achieve demonstrated energy efficiency savings of approximately 35% over typical baseline buildings. We are committed to providing excellent public service and safety to all who live, work and play in our vibrant, tropical, historic community. • Low-emitting (very low to zero volatile organic content) materials such as paints and adhesives, materials with high proportions of recycled or sustainable content as well regional materials that support the local economy. Miami Beach has a Green Building Ordinance that requires new construction over 7,000 square feet or ground floor additions to existing structures that encompass more than 10,000 square feet of additional floor area to be LEED Gold certified or Living Building Challenge certified. City officials announced in July that Miami Beach also achieved citywide Gold certification under LEED for Cities and Communities for its efforts to implement practical and measurable strategies and solutions aimed at improving sustainability and the standard of living for residents. The small group of U.S. cities and municipal jurisdictions that have achieved the certification include Orlando, Palm Beach County, Broward County, Hillsborough County, St. Petersburg, Las Vegas, Steamboat Springs, Atlanta, San Jose, San Diego County, Annapolis, and Washington, D.C. The key metrics tracked through the LEED Cities and Communities program will help support the first Miami Beach climate action plan, which includes setting greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and prioritizing mitigation actions in the sectors of energy and transportation. ### About the U.S. Green Building Council The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is committed to a healthy, resilient and equitable future for all through the development of green buildings, cities and communities. For more than 20 years, USGBC has been advancing green building practices through the development of LEED, the world’s most widely used green building program. With the support of thousands of members, volunteers and partners, USGBC provides robust green building education courses, a rigorous professional credentialing program and advocates for effective public policies. It convenes an international network of green building and sustainability leaders through the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, and forward-thinking programs, including the Center for Green Schools. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org and connect on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. To request this material in alternate format, sign language interpreter (five-day notice required), information on access for persons with disabilities, and/or any accommodation to review any document or participate in any city-sponsored proceedings, call 305.604.2489 and select 1 for English or 2 for Spanish, then option 6; TTY users may call via 711 (Florida Relay Service).