Benson Tower is a LEED® Certified building. The LEED rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the foremost program for buildings, homes and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained and operated for improved environmental and human health performance.
Benson Tower achieved LEED® Certification for implementing practical and measurable strategies and solutions aimed at achieving high performance in: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. As the first high-rise office tower in New Orleans to achieve LEED® Certification, Benson Tower set the bar high for future development in the region. Mike Siegel, President of Corporate Realty, Inc., credits New Orleans Saints and Benson Tower owner Tom Benson for "having a strong commitment to the redevelopment and rebirth of the City of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and for pursuing quality, sustainable development at Benson Tower that has spurred additional economic development and growth around the Superdome and along Poydras Street."
LEED is the foremost program for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. Over 50,000 projects are currently participating in the commercial and institutional LEED rating systems, comprising over 9 billion square feet of construction space in all 50 states and 130 countries.
"Buildings are a prime example of how human systems integrate with natural systems," said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. "Benson Tower efficiently uses our natural resources and makes an immediate, positive impact on our planet, which will tremendously benefit future generations to come."
Some of the highlighting features of the design and construction utilized in the redevelopment of Benson Tower are as follows:
- Environmentally sustainable vegetative roofs.
- 24% reduction in energy consumption.
- 33% reduction in water consumption.
- 100% reuse of the existing building structure.