Bridgestone Americas, Inc., a subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation announced that Bridgestone Tower, its recently completed headquarters office in downtown Nashville, has been awarded LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Buildings Council (USGBC). The LEED certification process recognizes exemplary maintenance practices for buildings that are designed, constructed and operated for improved environmental and human health performance. The Bridgestone Tower is owned by Highwoods Properties and was designed and constructed at Bridgestone’s request with the objective of being LEED Gold certified.

“Since the conception of Bridgestone Tower, our goal has been to achieve LEED Gold certification as another symbol of our commitment to the environment and sustainability and for the betterment of our workplace and community,” said Chris Karbowiak, Chief Administrative Officer at Bridgestone Americas. “Ensuring a healthy environment for current and future generation is a key pillar of our global corporate social responsibility commitment, Our Way to Serve, and we are proud that with this LEED Gold certification we are doing a small part to support the sustainability of our hometown of Nashville.”

The LEED rating system is developed by USGBC and is the most prominent program for recognizing sustainable building practices and strategies in the United States. Bridgestone Tower achieved LEED Gold certification for implementing solutions aimed at achieving high performance in multiple categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, material and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation.

“The work of innovative building projects like Bridgestone Tower is a fundamental driving force in transforming the way buildings are built, designed and operated,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO, USGBC. “Achieving LEED Gold certification goes further than implementing sustainable practices – Bridgestone is showing its commitment to the environment and the city which it resides and has the power to influence others to do the same.”

The 514,000-square-foot, 30-story headquarters building completed in December 2017 received LEED Gold based on a number of environmentally-conscious designs and notable sustainability features, including:

• Reducing portable water use by using high efficiently flush and low plumbing fixtures;
• Implementing LED fixtures to promote interior lighting energy savings;
• Choosing materials manufactured within 500 miles of the project site;
• Using low-emitting materials for adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings, flooring products and composite wood products and furniture;
• Implementing low mercury lamps;
• And using recycled content in materials

Firestone Building Products, a Bridgestone Americas subsidiary, contributed to the certification process with a white reflective roofing system that reduces the roof’s surface temperature creating greater energy efficiency and exceeding many industry ratings requirements. For additional information about Firestone Building Products, visit: http://firestonebpco.com/

In total, Bridgestone has five LEED certified locations including its manufacturing plant in Warren County, Tenn. The Warren County tire manufacturing plant began operations in 1990 and first earned the LEED V2 certification in 2008, becoming the first tire plant globally to achieve this.

For more information regarding the Bridgestone Tower LEED Gold Certification and scoring, please visit: https://www.usgbc.org/projects/bridgestone-americas-headquarters-0.