Fried Frank Takes Space in One of Two U.S. LEED-Certified Platinum Buildings

February 5, 2010
By Allison Landa, News Editor

Courtesy Flickr Creative Commons user woodleywonderworks

When Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP decided to get greener, the international law firm decided moving boxes were in the plan. It was announced Friday that Fried Frank has signed a 16-year, 102,000 square-foot lease on Lafayette Tower at 801 17th Street, N.W. in Washington, D.C., and will move into its new quarters in about a year. Financial information about the lease was not released.

The building is the first Platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified office building in Washington as well as one of just two Platinum LEED office buildings in the U.S. The U.S. Green Building Council lists Platinum as the highest rating available. Rating systems are grouped into five categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. Another category known as Innovation in Design covers sustainable building expertise plus design measures not addressed in the other five categories.

The eleven-story, 327,688-square foot Lafayette Tower earned Platinum status through innovative features such as a “green” roof with living vegetation and a water system designed to promote conservation. The building’s urban location adjacent to various modes of public transportation was also a consideration in the award.

“The building’s sustainability features were an important consideration in deciding to move to Lafayette Tower, a Platinum LEED building,” co-managing partner of the Washington office Alan Kaden said in a statement. “The firm is committed to green initiatives throughout all of its offices and the move to this new space in Washington provides a unique opportunity to reinforce this commitment.”

Fried Frank has more than 500 attorneys in New York, Washington, D.C., London, Paris, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.