DHL Receives First Gold LEED Green Building Certification in the U.S.

DHL Global Forwarding Miami facility meets commercial interiors green top standards

DHL, the world's leading logistics company, announces that their Miami DHL Global Forwarding building, owned by DCT Industrial (NYSE: DCT), a leading industrial real estate company, has received LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Commercial Interiors Gold certification. Located in the City of Doral, in Miami-Dade County, this is the first DHL commercial LEED Gold certified building in the United States. The internationally recognized green building certification validates that the structure was designed and built using environmentally friendly features aimed at: improving performance in energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, stewardship of resources, and sensitivity to their impacts. The building has received certification in the Gold category based on the U.S. Green Building Council's Commercial Interiors v2009 point rating system.

"We are extremely proud to be the first DHL LEED Gold certified building in the U.S. Through our green materials and technology in the interior and landscaping on the exterior we are on the forefront of the green construction industry movement," said Ronald Silbermann, head of Americas Gateway Miami. "Our savings, as well as our ability to protect one of our most valued assets, - our employees- proves our green investment has paid off."

The building scored especially high in the area of energy conservation; its lighting systems are 46 percent more efficient and contain reduced levels of mercury; over 95 percent of the building was equipped with occupancy sensors; and only Energy Star equipment and appliances were installed. In the area of water conservation, indoor water consumption was reduced by 32 percent with low-flow fixtures. The indoor environmental quality has been protected with the use of low emitting adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings, carpet systems and composite woods throughout the structure.

Additionally, all the new furniture is Greenguard certified which further protects occupants from indoor contaminants, and an Integrated Pest Management program has been implemented to reduce the amount of chemicals needed to treat pests.

"As a Company, we pride ourselves in maintaining excellent customer relationships – and this initiative is a testament to how we can partner with our customers, like DHL, to ensure we meet their needs," said Todd Watson, vice president and Regional Market Representative, DCT Industrial."Our redevelopment of this building to Gold LEED Certified is an example of our engineering and construction expertise as well as our desire to support green initiatives within our national property portfolio."

The company has implemented several sustainable features on the outside as well, including landscaping with native drought tolerant plants, bicycle storage and a changing room facility for employees using alternative means of transportation. This certification is in-line with the company's GoGreen climate protection program, aimed at improving its CO2 efficiency across all of its operations, including subcontracted transportation services, by 30 percent by 2020.

For DHL, the Miami building is the first building to receive LEED Gold certification in the United States. In May 2011, the company relocated its Global Forwarding and Express Nashville operations to a LEED certified facility and it is currently seeking certification for its Seattle facility, adding to a total of three DHL LEED certified buildings in 2011.

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