Miami and West Palm Beach, FL — December 8, 2020 — Miami Worldcenter, the $4 billion, 27-acre mixed-use development now underway in the heart of Downtown Miami, has earned the prestigious LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED ND) Silver pre-certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Similar to the way LEED for Building Design & Construction (BD+C) was created as a tool for market transformation of individual buildings, the U.S. Green Building Council partnered with the Congress for New Urbanism and the Natural Resources Defense Council to create a LEED rating system focused on sustainability at the neighborhood scale: LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED ND). LEED-ND is a tool that assists planners in bringing forward an alternative, sustainable form of growth. It strives for the creation of compact, walkable, vibrant, mixed-use neighborhoods with good connections to nearby communities.
As one of the largest urban developments in the USA, Miami Worldcenter’s master plan, delivering in phases, features a diverse mix of residential, commercial and hospitality uses complimented by a total of 300,000 sf of retail, restaurant and entertainment space. Occupying 10 city blocks in the heart of Downtown Miami’s central business district, the development is within walking distance of more than $5 billion in new public and private investments in mass transit, cultural institutions, recreational parks, and entertainment venues. Miami Worldcenter also connects directly to the downtown MIA-Mover light-rail line and is a short distance from the Brightline higher-speed rail system at the MiamiCentral station.
“This exciting milestone for the Miami Worldcenter represents an important sustainability achievement added to what is already a dynamic urban core of diversity and excitement,” said Altamash Khan, Director of Construction at Square Edge Inc., design and construction management firm for Miami Worldcenter.
“Through this LEED ND certification, Miami Worldcenter is investing in smart growth in an urban fabric, creating a neighborhood that is healthy, resilient and sustainable for generations to come,” said Jonathan Burgess, President of Spinnaker Group, which provided LEED ND Consulting, and Energy Modeling for the large mixed-use development. “We were inspired to work with the talented professionals from the Miami Worldcenter team, the City of Miami, and the supporting vendors and contractors that, together, brought this exceptional neighborhood-development project to fruition. Without question, our integrated team approach significantly reduced the project’s environmental footprint.”
The Spinnaker team worked with the developer to enhance the neighborhood’s walkability, connectivity, and street-life experience, while boosting energy and water performance. Thanks to its dense, walkable location, automobile dependence has been considerably reduced. The neighborhood’s overall walkability has been further strengthened with the creation of two main retail promenades and tree-shaded low-speed streets. In order to reduce pollution, strong considerations were taken during construction regarding air contamination, waste management, and collection of hazardous waste. Street lighting infrastructure and landscape irrigation systems were carefully selected, targeting over 30% energy savings and 40% water use reduction. Every building rooftop in MWC has a strong focus on energy-savings through the incorporation of both highly reflective coatings and vegetated planters. Lastly, as an integral part of MWC, both residential buildings (the 43-story LUMA tower and the 58-story Paramount tower) are currently applying for green-building certifications, which will make them key contributors to this distinctive, ultra-sustainable neighborhood.
Founded in 2003, the award-winning Spinnaker Group helps facilitate the delivery of the highest quality, sustainable building projects. Using an integrated team approach with a diverse range of clients, the firm has more than 150 LEED Certified projects under its belt and more than 700 million sf of commissioned building space worldwide. In addition to tapping USGBC’s LEED and other rating systems as anchors of its sustainable consulting services, Spinnaker’s diverse team of design and construction professionals offer project management, energy modeling, fundamental and enhanced building commissioning, neighborhood planning, operations and maintenance consulting, indoor air quality testing, and life cycle analyses for all types of building projects.
