Ashforth Pacific, Inc. announced that its owned and managed The Orrick Building has been honored with the prestigious Earth Award by the Building Owner and Managers Association of San Francisco (BOMA). The award was given in the medium category for buildings 300,000 square feet to 600,000 square feet.

A total of 45 Class-A office buildings in San Francisco applied and three in each category (small/medium/large) were recognized as winners. The Orrick Building received a 2nd place award in the medium building category, which was the most competitive category with 19 applicants.

The Orrick Building is a 10-story, 503,576 square foot Class A office building located at 405 Howard Street in the South of Market Financial District in Downtown San Francisco. Major tenants include Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLC, Moody’s KMV, and Barclay’s Global Investors. Ashforth’s division, Ashforth Pacific of California, LLC oversees daily building operations at the building.

The BOMA Earth Awards recognize building owners, operators and suppliers who create “greener” working environments and demonstrate responsible environmental stewardships. They are awarded to buildings on the basis of resource conservation and environmental criteria that target recycling/waste reduction, energy conservation, water conservation, toxics/air quality, transportation and education.

“We’re proud of this award given to The Orrick Building. Since 1999, our goal has been to provide the best service with the most efficient use of resources with little or no impact on the environment. The award confirms Ashforth’s commitment to practicing and promoting sustainability, conservation and awareness,” said Scott Langley, CEO of Ashforth Pacific, Inc.

Opening in 2003, The Orrick Building features modern building systems and infrastructure. Sustainable physical elements include under floor HVAC systems, motion sensor lighting, and 100% fresh air intake systems. To pursue additional system improvement, a full retro-commissioning study was completed in 2008 and all recommendations have since been implemented.

Beyond the physical features, The Orrick Building has the benefit from a like-minded tenant mix that willingly participates in the building sustainability initiatives. All tenants are recycling and composting within their suites and a trash can reduction program has been designed to minimize the number of trash cans at individual workstations and encourage recycling. Lighting and HVAC operating times have been adjusted zone by zone within the building to match the actual hours of occupancy. These measures have provided a valuable cost savings at the building.

Ashforth’s owned and managed office building, Liberty Centre located in Portland, Oregon recently received the LEED-EB Silver certification.