Citi announced its data center in Frankfurt, Germany, is the first building of its kind to earn the U.S. Green Building Council‘s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum rating. The building uses roughly 30 percent of the energy conventional data centers consume.
The announcement came late last week along with a list of detailed environmental measures the company incorporated in the building’s design, such as the vegetative green roof that acts as insulation in the winter and cools the building in the summer.
In addition to the big announcement, Citi released a statement earlier in the week, on Earth Day, stating that 100 Citibank branches have received different levels of LEED certification.
LEED Platinum is the highest rating a building can receive from the USGBC. The LEED certification program honors buildings that implement environmental practices in building design. The rating system ranks buildings and homes from bronze to platinum.
More about green buildings
• Tornado-torn Greensburg, Kansas passes a resolution requiring all rebuilt, city-owned buildings to meet LEED standards. Read about the tiny town’s efforts to go green!
• The U.S. Green Building Council’s newest version of LEED includes regional credits in its rating system. Find out what else is new in LEED version 3.
• Make your home green certified. Find out more about LEED, Green Globes and the criteria for these eco-certification systems.
