Asa Posner
Senior Sustainability Manager
Sustainable Investment Group, Inc.

Asa Posner fell in love with environmental studies after taking a geology course at Emory University’s Oxford College, and from there has made a career out of improving building performance. With more than 160 LEED projects under his belt, he knows where to dig for hidden efficiency improvements.

A $100 million renovation brought 230 Park Avenue, built in 1929, up to LEED EB Gold certification. But that wasn’t good enough for Clarion Partners, who brought on Asa Posner and his team to reach LEED CI Platinum.

Posner and his team worked with building management to upgrade fixtures for throughout the 47,000-sf Clarion Partners space to further improve potable water usage. Once work was complete, Clarion Partners were using 43% less water than code required. They also implemented upgrades to the ventilation system to reach further beyond code, bringing in 30% more fresh air than required with MERV 13 air filters. 

Beyond the walls of 230 Park, the team locally sourced over half of all construction materials and recycled their construction and demolition debris—diverting 98% of their materials away from landfills. Inside the office, the team used ample daylighting to reduce energy use and improve the work environment. Beyond educating employees on the details of their sustainable office, Clarion even implemented a green education program with take-home tips for staff.

WHAT THEY DID

• Upgraded fixtures to reduce potable water use by over 40% compared to standard ones
• Maximized daylight through low-height partitions and glass offices and offset 100% of energy use through the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates
• Diverted nearly 100% of construction and demolition debris from landfill
• Divided the work into quadrants and rotated tenants as work went on to minimize disruption