SOCOTEC Celebrates Five Major Sustainability Certifications Across Diverse Building Types
SOCOTEC is proud to celebrate five recent sustainability certifications that reflect our teams’ expertise in energy performance, green building certification, and commissioning.
Our energy and sustainability consulting expertise drove LEED and FGBC certifications for several projects across the US. From luxury residential and academic facilities in New York, to laboratory and commercial spaces in Massachusetts and Florida, these projects demonstrate how thoughtful design, rigorous analysis, and collaborative delivery lead to measurable results.
Luxury Residences Development (New York, NY)
760 Madison Residences – LEED Silver
760 Madison Residences, also known as Giorgio Armani Residences, is a project developed by SL Green in New York City. SOCOTEC supported the project team in achieving LEED Silver certification, demonstrating that luxury residential development and environmental responsibility can coexist.
Our team provided comprehensive sustainability, energy performance, and commissioning consulting services throughout the project lifecycle. Led by Kinjal Mor with contributions from John Amatruda, Matt Mongan, Filip Stoian, and Dave Nguyen, SOCOTEC guided the design and construction teams toward measurable sustainability outcomes.
Key outcomes and highlights
The project achieved strong results across multiple LEED categories:
- 33% Indoor Water Use Reduction, achieved through efficient indoor plumbing systems
- 5 points for Optimize Energy Performance, demonstrating improved energy efficiency over baseline requirements
- 3 points for Enhanced Commissioning, supporting improved building systems performance
- Demand Response participation, earning points through load flexibility and grid harmonization strategies
- 3 points for Low-Emitting Materials, covering multiple product categories and supporting healthy indoor air quality
- Strong Indoor Environmental Quality performance, including daylight, quality views, acoustic performance, and thermal comfort
760 Madison Residences, also known as Giorgio Armani Residences, is a project developed by SL Green in New York City. SOCOTEC supported the project team in achieving LEED Silver certification, demonstrating that luxury residential development and environmental responsibility can coexist.
Our team provided comprehensive sustainability, energy performance, and commissioning consulting services throughout the project lifecycle. Led by Kinjal Mor with contributions from John Amatruda, Matt Mongan, Filip Stoian, and Dave Nguyen, SOCOTEC guided the design and construction teams toward measurable sustainability outcomes.
Key outcomes and highlights
The project achieved strong results across multiple LEED categories:
- 33% Indoor Water Use Reduction, achieved through efficient indoor plumbing systems
- 5 points for Optimize Energy Performance, demonstrating improved energy efficiency over baseline requirements
- 3 points for Enhanced Commissioning, supporting improved building systems performance
- Demand Response participation, earning points through load flexibility and grid harmonization strategies
- 3 points for Low-Emitting Materials, covering multiple product categories and supporting healthy indoor air quality
- Strong Indoor Environmental Quality performance, including daylight, quality views, acoustic performance, and thermal comfort
Campus Renovation (Buffalo, NY)
Foster Hall at the University at Buffalo – LEED Gold
Foster Hall at the University at Buffalo is an academic building that undergone a full renovation and achieved LEED Gold certification with 63 points, showcasing the sustainability value of historic building renovation and adaptive reuse in New York State.
SOCOTEC provided sustainability consulting services, supporting LEED strategy, documentation, and coordination. The project was led by Kinjal Mor, with oversight from John Amatruda and contributions from Sinar Bitar, Megan Ambrosino, and Paggy Zhu.
Key outcomes and highlights
Notable achievements include:
- 34% Indoor Water Use Reduction, achieved through high-efficiency plumbing fixtures
- 3 points for Renewable Energy Production, with on-site renewable energy generation contributing to building energy demand
- 5 points for Enhanced Commissioning, including both enhanced systems commissioning and envelope commissioning
- 16 points for Optimize Energy Performance, demonstrating strong energy efficiency through whole-building energy simulation
- Advanced Energy Metering implemented to support ongoing energy monitoring and performance tracking
- 5 points for Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction, achieved through historic building reuse
- 2 points for Construction and Demolition Waste Management, supporting responsible material diversion practices
Foster Hall at the University at Buffalo is an academic building that undergone a full renovation and achieved LEED Gold certification with 63 points, showcasing the sustainability value of historic building renovation and adaptive reuse in New York State.
SOCOTEC provided sustainability consulting services, supporting LEED strategy, documentation, and coordination. The project was led by Kinjal Mor, with oversight from John Amatruda and contributions from Sinar Bitar, Megan Ambrosino, and Paggy Zhu.
Key outcomes and highlights
Notable achievements include:
- 34% Indoor Water Use Reduction, achieved through high-efficiency plumbing fixtures
- 3 points for Renewable Energy Production, with on-site renewable energy generation contributing to building energy demand
- 5 points for Enhanced Commissioning, including both enhanced systems commissioning and envelope commissioning
- 16 points for Optimize Energy Performance, demonstrating strong energy efficiency through whole-building energy simulation
- Advanced Energy Metering implemented to support ongoing energy monitoring and performance tracking
- 5 points for Building Life-Cycle Impact Reduction, achieved through historic building reuse
- 2 points for Construction and Demolition Waste Management, supporting responsible material diversion practices
Life Science Lab (Watertown, MA)
Elm Street Labs – LEED Gold
Located at 23 Elm Street, Elm Street Labs is a core-and-shell laboratory building in Watertown, Massachusetts. This multi-story complex features below-grade parking and incorporated sophisticated building envelope solutions to support research operations. The project successfully achieved LEED Gold certification with 65 points.
In addition to building envelope consulting, SOCOTEC provided integrated sustainability and energy consulting, along with commissioning support. Led by Emily Billheimer, with contributions from Paggy Zhu, Owen Lasko, Sonia Ohashi, Andrew Graceffa, and Filip Stoian, our team worked closely with KSID (architect) and The Triad Group (owner) to navigate final certification requirements and maintain momentum.
Key outcomes and highlights
The project incorporated a range of environmental and energy strategies:
- 24% of the previously disturbed area restored with native plantings
- 3 Points for Rainwater Management for extensive stormwater management through LID strategies to manage stormwater quantity
- 40% Indoor Water Use Reduction
- On-site Renewable Energy via a rooftop solar array provides 14.6% of the building energy
- 3 points for Enhanced Commissioning
- Pilot for Onsite Carbon Sequestration Through Plantings – determined by evaluating the plantings in the restored landscape and determining the CO2 absorbed.
- Achieved 2 points for CWM with a single commingled stream following v4.1 Option 1 Path 3 under the LEED v4.1 April 2021 LEED Addenda Updates.
Located at 23 Elm Street, Elm Street Labs is a core-and-shell laboratory building in Watertown, Massachusetts. This multi-story complex features below-grade parking and incorporated sophisticated building envelope solutions to support research operations. The project successfully achieved LEED Gold certification with 65 points.
In addition to building envelope consulting, SOCOTEC provided integrated sustainability and energy consulting, along with commissioning support. Led by Emily Billheimer, with contributions from Paggy Zhu, Owen Lasko, Sonia Ohashi, Andrew Graceffa, and Filip Stoian, our team worked closely with KSID (architect) and The Triad Group (owner) to navigate final certification requirements and maintain momentum.
Key outcomes and highlights
The project incorporated a range of environmental and energy strategies:
- 24% of the previously disturbed area restored with native plantings
- 3 Points for Rainwater Management for extensive stormwater management through LID strategies to manage stormwater quantity
- 40% Indoor Water Use Reduction
- On-site Renewable Energy via a rooftop solar array provides 14.6% of the building energy
- 3 points for Enhanced Commissioning
- Pilot for Onsite Carbon Sequestration Through Plantings – determined by evaluating the plantings in the restored landscape and determining the CO2 absorbed.
- Achieved 2 points for CWM with a single commingled stream following v4.1 Option 1 Path 3 under the LEED v4.1 April 2021 LEED Addenda Updates.
Car Showroom (North Miami, FL)
Ground Force Project – FGBC Commercial Bronze
The Ground Force Project, an automotive showroom in North Miami, Florida, achieved FGBC Commercial Certification at Bronze Level, proving that sustainability applies across all building types and markets.
Our team, led by Amy Ford and Sourya Dutta, delivered sustainability consulting to support certification requirements and MEP verification commissioning services focusing on system performance, controls, and occupant comfort
Key outcomes and highlights
The project demonstrated measurable performance improvements:
- 23 points for Energy Performance Improvement, reflecting an 11.5% improvement over baseline energy requirements
- Low-emitting materials credits, supporting healthier indoor environments
- Construction and demolition waste management credits, promoting responsible material handling
- Productive work environment and system controls, including lighting and thermal comfort, with credits for views, acoustics, and controllability
The Ground Force Project, an automotive showroom in North Miami, Florida, achieved FGBC Commercial Certification at Bronze Level, proving that sustainability applies across all building types and markets.
Our team, led by Amy Ford and Sourya Dutta, delivered sustainability consulting to support certification requirements and MEP verification commissioning services focusing on system performance, controls, and occupant comfort
Key outcomes and highlights
The project demonstrated measurable performance improvements:
- 23 points for Energy Performance Improvement, reflecting an 11.5% improvement over baseline energy requirements
- Low-emitting materials credits, supporting healthier indoor environments
- Construction and demolition waste management credits, promoting responsible material handling
- Productive work environment and system controls, including lighting and thermal comfort, with credits for views, acoustics, and controllability
Office to Residential Conversion (New York, NY)
25 Water Street – LEED Silver
Located in South Manhattan at 25 Water Street, SoMA Residences is the largest office-to-residential conversion in U.S. history with 1,320 units across 50 floor plans. Formerly the headquarters of JPMorgan Chase, the building was transformed into a modern luxury rental community by CetraRuddy Architects, with SOCOTEC supporting GFP in achieving LEED Silver certification, demonstrating that large-scale adaptive reuse can align with environmental responsibility.
SOCOTEC provided comprehensive sustainability, energy performance, and commissioning consulting throughout the project lifecycle. Our team was led by Megan Ambrosino, Lisa Ross and John Amatruda. Together, they guided the design and construction toward measurable sustainability outcomes.
Key outcomes and highlights
The project achieved notable results across multiple LEED categories:
- Access to quality views: Two multi-story light wells and a ten-story rooftop addition resulted in 82% of regularly occupied spaces enjoying natural light and views
- Residential ventilation: Fully compliant with ASHRAE 62.2 whole building ventilation standards
- Open space: 55% of the site includes plaza, courtyards, and vegetated terraces
- Heat island mitigation: Exemplary performance with shaded parking, reflective roof, and landscaping
- Water efficiency: Cooling tower cycles optimized through water testing
- Energy savings: Total energy cost reduction of 7.7%
- Building and material reuse: Over 93% of the structure, roof, and envelope retained, earning regional priority points
- Low-emitting materials: Covered adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings, flooring, and insulation to support indoor air quality
Located in South Manhattan at 25 Water Street, SoMA Residences is the largest office-to-residential conversion in U.S. history with 1,320 units across 50 floor plans. Formerly the headquarters of JPMorgan Chase, the building was transformed into a modern luxury rental community by CetraRuddy Architects, with SOCOTEC supporting GFP in achieving LEED Silver certification, demonstrating that large-scale adaptive reuse can align with environmental responsibility.
SOCOTEC provided comprehensive sustainability, energy performance, and commissioning consulting throughout the project lifecycle. Our team was led by Megan Ambrosino, Lisa Ross and John Amatruda. Together, they guided the design and construction toward measurable sustainability outcomes.
Key outcomes and highlights
The project achieved notable results across multiple LEED categories:
- Access to quality views: Two multi-story light wells and a ten-story rooftop addition resulted in 82% of regularly occupied spaces enjoying natural light and views
- Residential ventilation: Fully compliant with ASHRAE 62.2 whole building ventilation standards
- Open space: 55% of the site includes plaza, courtyards, and vegetated terraces
- Heat island mitigation: Exemplary performance with shaded parking, reflective roof, and landscaping
- Water efficiency: Cooling tower cycles optimized through water testing
- Energy savings: Total energy cost reduction of 7.7%
- Building and material reuse: Over 93% of the structure, roof, and envelope retained, earning regional priority points
- Low-emitting materials: Covered adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings, flooring, and insulation to support indoor air quality
SOCOTEC’s Expertise in Energy Performance and Green Building Certification
Across these projects, SOCOTEC delivered consistent value by integrating energy performance analysis, LEED and green building certification consulting, commissioning, and thermal comfort expertise.
Our Energy & Sustainability services
- Green Building Certification Consulting: Navigating LEED certification, FGBC standards, and emerging sustainability frameworks with precision and efficiency
- Energy Performance Consulting: Delivering measurable energy improvements through whole-building simulation, optimization strategies, and ongoing monitoring
- Commissioning Services: Ensuring building systems perform as designed through enhanced commissioning and MEP verification
- Thermal Comfort Analysis: Creating healthy, productive indoor environments that balance energy efficiency with occupant wellbeing
- Practical Sustainability Strategies: That balance certification goals with constructability and operations
Whether supporting projects in New York, Massachusetts, Florida, or beyond, SOCOTEC helps clients achieve measurable sustainability outcomes that support compliance, occupant well-being, and long-term asset performance.
Our Green Building Certification Experts
Kinjal MOR, LEED AP: BD+C, O+M, WELL AP, ENV SP
Project Manager, Sustainability
Emily BILLHEIMER, Associate AIA, LEED AP, WELL AP, Fitwel Ambassador
Senior Project Manager, Sustainability
Sourya DUTTA, LEED AP O+M
Commissioning Agent
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