BRE Properties Advances Sustainability Efforts With LEED(R) Gold Certification of Park Viridian Apartment Community in Anaheim

November 4, 2009 6:08 PM EST

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- BRE Properties, Inc. (NYSE: BRE) today announced that its Park Viridian apartment community in Anaheim, Calif. has received LEED NC v2.2 Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and GreenPoint Rated certification by Build It Green. Park Viridian is the first newly constructed residential property in Anaheim to be awarded the LEED Gold designation.

Park Viridian is the second recently developed community in BRE's apartment portfolio to receive LEED certification. In April, the company's 5600 Wilshire apartment community in Los Angeles became the first multifamily property in Southern California to receive both LEED NC v2.2 Silver and GreenPoint Rated certifications. Both communities were developed by BRE and completed this year.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the USGBC's rating system for designing and constructing the world's greenest, most energy-efficient and high-performing buildings. GreenPoint Rated is a point-based system that evaluates energy efficiency, resource conservation, indoor air quality, water conservation and community.

"The LEED and GreenPoint Rated certifications of Park Viridian are excellent examples of BRE's growing commitment to sustainability. The small number of certified green apartment communities nationwide puts us at the leading edge," said Constance B. Moore, BRE president and chief executive officer. "Building to green standards, though, is only one aspect of our efforts to become a more sustainable company. We also have taken measures to optimize sustainability at our existing communities as well as our internal operations, which will conserve resources and improve the quality of life at our established properties and in our corporate offices. BRE recognizes its obligation to be an active steward of the environment. We believe our leadership and investments in environmental sustainability provide value for our customers, associates and investors."

LEED and GreenPoint certifications of Park Viridian were based on a number of green design and construction features that have a positive impact on the apartment community, its residents and staff as well as the broader community. These features include:

    --  Innovation in building design;
    --  Water-related programs, including water-use reduction and
        water-efficient landscaping;
    --  Energy-efficient heating/cooling, appliances and lighting;
    --  Recycled content in construction materials;
    --  High-performance thermal windows;
    --  Low-emitting paints, coatings and carpets; and

    --  Access to public transportation and bicycle storage.

Based on investment analysis conducted by the company, the incremental costs of building to these green standards should be recouped in less than three years. If water and energy prices increase past baseline assumptions, the payback may be half that time.

"BRE's development strategy in recent years - high-density, in-fill locations that are close to transportation and essential goods and services - is environmentally responsible. Our resource-constrained markets and global climate changes took us a step further to smart building design, like Park Viridian," said Edward F. Lange, BRE's executive vice president, chief operating officer. "BRE is shaping a sustainability program that will benefit all stakeholders. We have taken measures to conserve water, reduce waste, improve air quality and generally reduce the environmental impact of our communities. Our prospective customers increasingly are expecting a green living experience; our investors will appreciate the reduction in expenses that goes directly to the bottom line; and our associates will be afforded an enhanced work environment."

Park Viridian was designed by BRE Properties and KTGY Architects. The company also partnered with CTG Energetics, Inc., of Irvine, Calif., to achieve LEED and GreenPoint Rated certifications for energy use, lighting, water, air quality and material use as well as incorporating a variety of other sustainable strategies.

The LEED Green Building Rating System(TM) is a feature-oriented rating system that awards buildings points for satisfying specified green building criteria in six major environmental categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation and design. LEED verifies environmental performance, occupant health and financial return. LEED was established for market leaders to design and construct buildings that protect and save precious resources, while also making good economic sense.

The GreenPoint rating process is a physical examination of building systems, structures, materials, and components to assess energy and water efficiency, indoor air quality, resource efficiency of materials and construction methods, and construction quality.

About the U.S. Green Building Council

USGBC 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 green building rating systems, an expansive educational offering, the industry's popular Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, and a network of 78 local chapters, affiliates and organizing groups. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org.

About Build It Green

Build It Green is a non-profit organization that provides the GreenPoint Rated program as a public service. The GreenPoint Rated program seeks to promote high-performance homes and best practices in residential construction by establishing a label to distinguish green homes from conventional homes through credible third-party inspection and verification. The organization also fosters positive interactions between GreenPoint Raters and building professionals, and documents the full extent of resource conservation benefits that green building practices deliver. For more information, go to http://www.builditgreen.org.

About BRE Properties

BRE Properties, based in San Francisco, Calif., owns and manages apartment communities convenient to its residents' work, shopping, entertainment and transit in supply-constrained Western U.S. markets. BRE directly owns and operates 73 apartment communities totaling 21,245 units in California, Arizona and Washington. The company invests in communities through acquisition and development, and currently has five properties in various stages of development and construction, totaling 1,526 units, and joint-venture interests in 13 additional apartment communities, totaling 4,080 units. BRE Properties is a real estate investment trust (REIT) listed in the S&P MidCap 400 Index. For more information on BRE Properties, please visit our Web site at www.breproperties.com.

SOURCE BRE Properties, Inc.

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