The Crescent Joins Growing List Of Crescent Properties To Receive Leed EB Certification

Published on: Nov 15, 2010

THE CRESCENT® OFFICE TOWERS JOINS GROWING LIST OF CRESCENT PROPERTIES TO RECEIVE LEED EB CERTIFICATION

More than 4 Million Square Feet of Crescent’s Texas Properties LEED Certified

**DALLAS, TX, (November 15, 2010)** – Crescent Real Estate Holdings LLC announced today that The Crescent Office Towers in Uptown Dallas received LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) under the Existing Buildings (EB) rating system, giving Crescent more than 4 million square feet of LEED certified Class A office space in Texas. In September, the USGBC awarded Crescent's first LEED certification to Trammell Crow Center in the Arts District of Dallas earning the distinction of LEED EB Silver, followed by LEED EB Gold certifications received by Fulbright Tower and 1 Houston Center in downtown Houston. Crescent reported that the bulk of its 35 premier office buildings across the United States are on course for LEED certification by the end of 2011.

These LEED certifications for Crescent follow the company's announcement in early September that Crescent Real Estate Holdings LLC was named an ENERGY STAR 2009 Top Performer by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Crescent is one of only six commercial real estate companies in the U.S. and one of only two in Texas to be recognized by EPA for improving energy efficiency more than 10 percent.

“Crescent has a long-standing commitment to being a leader in the commercial office industry for environmental performance and energy efficiency,” said Jim Wilson, managing director of asset management for Crescent. “The entire Crescent portfolio of 35 properties, 17 million square feet, is either registered or already certified for LEED EB. We expect most properties to be awarded certifications by the end of next year,”

The Crescent Office Towers were referred to by Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert as “the Wall Street of Dallas” in a recent Crescent press conference announcing that the property signed 14 leases with major financial firms. Then in late October, The Crescent was awarded LEED Silver certification for Existing Buildings by the USGBC. Earning 44 out of the 45 credits that were applied for, the property was applauded by the USGBC for its water conservation improvements. Crescent replaced all water closets with efficient water-conserving, low-flow models, which results in a 10% reduction in water use, saving nearly 3 million gallons of water each year.

The Crescent Office Towers, together with Trammell Crow Center which also earned LEED EB Silver recognition, are two of only 10 properties in Dallas and 49 in Texas to receive LEED EB certification. In total, the properties are expected to conserve approximately 6 million gallons of water each year and divert a significant amount of waste from landfills through recycling and reuse policies, including electronic recycling, and green cleaning programs. The final Dallas property in Crescent's portfolio, Fountain Place, is on target to receive LEED EB certification next year.

Fulbright Tower and 1 Houston Center are two of only 25 properties in Houston and 49 in Texas to receive LEED EB certification. The USGBC awarded highly both Houston properties for programs that minimize water use, reduce waste and improve indoor air quality.

The Crescent Office Towers secured an ENERGY STAR rating of 81, placing it in the top 19 percent of commercial office buildings in the nation. Trammell Crow Center, Fulbright Tower, and 1 Houston Center, earned ENERGY STAR ratings of 75, 89, and 87, respectively. ENERGY STAR rated buildings in Crescent’s U.S. office portfolio rank in the top 13 percent of all energy efficient buildings.

“Our customers and partners want LEED certified buildings,” said John Zogg, managing director of leasing for Crescent's Dallas portfolio. “To them it means that we care about their experience, the communities that surround us, and ultimately the cost savings that we are able to achieve and pass on to them. It's good for everyone.” Zogg further noted that Crescent has invested close to $28 million in capital improvements, portfolio-wide, which includes LEED-driven projects. The Crescent Office Towers property is owned by Crescent TC Investors, L.P., a joint venture of Crescent Real Estate Equities Limited Partnership, institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management, and other institutional investors. Designed by nationally-acclaimed architect Philip Johnson, The Crescent Office Towers total 1.1 million square feet in three contiguous buildings and, with the adjacent Rosewood Crescent Hotel, are the centerpiece of Uptown Dallas.

ABOUT LEED

LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, carbon dioxide emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED provides building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, and operations and maintenance solutions. For more information, refer to www.usgbc.org or www.northtexasgreencouncil.org.

ABOUT CRESCENT

Crescent Real Estate Holdings LLC, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is a fully-integrated real estate company owned by Barclays Capital and Goff Capital. Through its subsidiaries and joint ventures, Crescent owns and manages a portfolio of 35 premier office buildings totaling over 17 million square feet located in select markets across the United States with major concentrations in Dallas, Houston, Denver and Las Vegas. Crescent also holds investments in resort residential developments in locations such as Scottsdale, Vail Valley, and Lake Tahoe; luxury hotels; and the wellness lifestyle leader, Canyon Ranch®. For more information, visit Crescent's Web site at www.crescent.com