Der neue Tower der Tower Companies soll noch besser werden, kündigt Jeffrey Abramson an. Er soll energieautark werden.

Friday, June 8, 2007
Tower pushes envelope with third piece of complex
Washington Business Journal - by Prabha Natarajan Staff Reporter

Executives at the Tower Cos. are at the drawing board, puzzling over how to outdo themselves with the final piece of the Tower Oaks complex along Interstate 270 in Rockville.

The North Bethesda-based developer plans to seek approval for a 425,000-square-foot, two-building complex in September. By that time, company officials hope to decide how they will maintain the company's reputation as a cutting-edge developer.

At this stage of the process -- the schematic design phase -- it seems energy self-sufficiency will be the main theme of the twin towers. This means the buildings likely will be designed to run on their own juices, for the most part, through the use of wind and solar power. Their hope is to exceed even the benchmarks set by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.

"We are pushing the envelope on this," said Jeffrey Abramson, partner at Tower Cos. "At this point, we don't think LEED is good enough."

The focus on reducing electricity use follows the initial success at the first Tower building, built in 2000. The building currently uses 43 percent less electricity than comparable structures.

The goal for Tower III, as the proposed project is called, is energy savings at more than 70 percent. And, when the power generated is not used, it will be sold back to energy companies.

The $150 million budget for the two nine-story structures includes the cost of setting up photovoltaic farms and wind turbines.

The conceptual idea is to install photovoltaic cells on parts of the parking deck. The cells will be supported by trellises underneath. The structure also will provide shade for the parked cars.

Meanwhile, turbines will be set up to capture wind that is channeled from the side of the building facing Interstate 270 to the penthouse of Tower III.

Abramson has a personal stake in the project and holds weekly meetings with architect Kishimoto Gordon Dalaya of McLean to brainstorm ideas.

The challenge is finding reliable technology at the right price, Abramson said.

"We are out there pursuing the technology; it is so much more expensive than what we would normally do," he said.

Both office buildings would be built simultaneously, allowing the developer to cut five months from the construction calendar and millions of dollars in expenses.

The goal is to secure tenants for at least one building before construction starts.

In addition to office space, the buildings will have a cafe and fitness center, which will be part of the shared common space. No leases for those spaces have been signed yet.

2000 Tower Oaks is the nine-floor office tower that is being built under the principles of Vedic architecture, an Indian system for building construction based on nature and energy flows