A suburban office building with a grass roof, toilets that use rainwater for flushing and an air-conditioning system that makes its own ice for cooling? It's a reality at SAP AG's (NYSE: SAP) office expansion on its Newtown Square campus. Designed by FXFOWLE Architects, known for its innovative sustainable designs, the new 200,000-square-foot building unveiled today includes numerous sustainable design features and is built to comply with the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum standard. At present, there are fewer than 125 office buildings in the U.S. that have obtained USGBC's highest environmental rating. The SAP building is currently under review by the USGBC, with LEED Platinum certification anticipated in 2010.
Worldwide, SAP is committed to incorporating sustainable design features into all of its new building projects and strives to design its new buildings to at least a LEED Silver standard. This effort is part of the company's strategic focus on sustainability, which includes both a commitment to managing its internal operations in a sustainable way and delivering solutions that support its customers' sustainable business practices.
"SAP's commitment to long-term growth in the North American region and the Philadelphia area is clearly reflected in this expansion of our North American campus," said Bill McDermott, president, Global Field Operations, SAP AG, and member of the SAP Executive Board. "The sustainable attributes of this new building are a natural outgrowth of SAP's holistic and strategic corporate focus on sustainability. The building's design not only significantly reduces its environmental impact, it also provides our nearly 2,000 Philadelphia-area employees with an innovative, state-of-the-art workplace."
Located on the 110-acre campus of SAP North America and adjacent to its existing LEED-certified building, the new building features a floor-to-ceiling glass exterior and an open-space plan that takes maximum advantage of daylight. The "green" grass roofs, the use of native and regional vegetation species in landscaping and the maintenance of extensive open space highlight SAP's goal of integrating the building with the surrounding natural environment.
The new building also incorporates numerous innovative features to reduce water use. Rainwater from the green roof and other areas is collected in a 50,000-gallon cistern, which supplies water for landscape irrigation and the flushing of toilets in some of the building's bathrooms. Additionally, low-flow bathroom fixtures will greatly reduce water usage, with an expected saving of over one million gallons of water per year.
Energy-efficient features abound in the building. Geothermal wells use the constant ground temperature of the earth to both heat and cool areas of the building. Lighting systems based on the concept of "daylight harvesting" are controlled by sensors that dim the lighting levels and raise or lower window shades based on the level of sunlight coming through the triple-glazed glass exterior wall. A hybrid air conditioning system produces ice during the overnight hours when energy demands and electric rates are lowest, with the chilled water from the melting ice used to cool the building during the heat of the day.
These and other energy-efficient features are projected to reduce the building's energy use by as much as 49 percent compared to conventional buildings, and will contribute to global efforts from SAP to meet its recently announced aggressive carbon reduction targets (see "SAP Increases Focus on Sustainable Business"). It is expected that the additional costs of implementing the LEED Platinum features will be recovered within seven to 10 years, making the new building sustainable from both a resource and financial standpoint. The new building has also achieved the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR (DEES) rating, which acknowledges energy-efficient architecture and engineering in new buildings. Fewer than 120 projects have earned the DEES rating since the program began in 2004.
Green building standards were also a priority during construction. Strict waste-management and recycling practices were followed, resulting in more than 1,200 tons of waste being diverted from landfills. Environmentally friendly materials were used whenever possible, with the materials, finishes and furnishings incorporating sustainable features such as high recycled content and being locally sourced to reduce the carbon footprint. For example, the building features wood from trees harvested on the site during the construction phase. Construction of the new building generated 1,900 jobs for local tradespeople, adding between $30-40 million to the local economy.
More information about sustainability efforts from SAP may be found at the Sustainability at SAP section on sap.com. To preview and download broadcast-standard stock footage and press photos of the new building and its sustainability features, please visit www.sap.com/photos.
Next Major Event: SAPPHIRE® 2009 Orlando
More than 10,000 customers, partners and industry experts are convening at SAPPHIRE® 2009 to discover how SAP and its thriving partner ecosystem are delivering IT solutions that help today's best-run businesses achieve clarity in every area of their operations. SAP's premier educational and networking event, SAPPHIRE is the one occasion each year where senior executives, business managers and decision-makers can come together to explore how innovative business solutions foster long-term, profitable growth. SAPPHIRE 2009 will be held in Orlando, Florida, May 11-14. For more information, please visit www.sap.com/sapphire. Join the conversation via Twitter at #sapphire09.
In addition to SAPPHIRE 2009, SAP is also hosting SAP® World Tour 2009, a series of local events in more than 70 cities through Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. For more information, visit the SAP World Tour event page on sap.com.
Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.
Copyright © 2009 SAP AG. All rights reserved.
SAP, R/3, mySAP, mySAP.com, xApps, xApp, SAP NetWeaver and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries all over the world. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies. Data contained in this document serve informational purposes only. National product specifications may vary.
Worldwide, SAP is committed to incorporating sustainable design features into all of its new building projects and strives to design its new buildings to at least a LEED Silver standard. This effort is part of the company's strategic focus on sustainability, which includes both a commitment to managing its internal operations in a sustainable way and delivering solutions that support its customers' sustainable business practices.
"SAP's commitment to long-term growth in the North American region and the Philadelphia area is clearly reflected in this expansion of our North American campus," said Bill McDermott, president, Global Field Operations, SAP AG, and member of the SAP Executive Board. "The sustainable attributes of this new building are a natural outgrowth of SAP's holistic and strategic corporate focus on sustainability. The building's design not only significantly reduces its environmental impact, it also provides our nearly 2,000 Philadelphia-area employees with an innovative, state-of-the-art workplace."
Located on the 110-acre campus of SAP North America and adjacent to its existing LEED-certified building, the new building features a floor-to-ceiling glass exterior and an open-space plan that takes maximum advantage of daylight. The "green" grass roofs, the use of native and regional vegetation species in landscaping and the maintenance of extensive open space highlight SAP's goal of integrating the building with the surrounding natural environment.
The new building also incorporates numerous innovative features to reduce water use. Rainwater from the green roof and other areas is collected in a 50,000-gallon cistern, which supplies water for landscape irrigation and the flushing of toilets in some of the building's bathrooms. Additionally, low-flow bathroom fixtures will greatly reduce water usage, with an expected saving of over one million gallons of water per year.
Energy-efficient features abound in the building. Geothermal wells use the constant ground temperature of the earth to both heat and cool areas of the building. Lighting systems based on the concept of "daylight harvesting" are controlled by sensors that dim the lighting levels and raise or lower window shades based on the level of sunlight coming through the triple-glazed glass exterior wall. A hybrid air conditioning system produces ice during the overnight hours when energy demands and electric rates are lowest, with the chilled water from the melting ice used to cool the building during the heat of the day.
These and other energy-efficient features are projected to reduce the building's energy use by as much as 49 percent compared to conventional buildings, and will contribute to global efforts from SAP to meet its recently announced aggressive carbon reduction targets (see "SAP Increases Focus on Sustainable Business"). It is expected that the additional costs of implementing the LEED Platinum features will be recovered within seven to 10 years, making the new building sustainable from both a resource and financial standpoint. The new building has also achieved the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR (DEES) rating, which acknowledges energy-efficient architecture and engineering in new buildings. Fewer than 120 projects have earned the DEES rating since the program began in 2004.
Green building standards were also a priority during construction. Strict waste-management and recycling practices were followed, resulting in more than 1,200 tons of waste being diverted from landfills. Environmentally friendly materials were used whenever possible, with the materials, finishes and furnishings incorporating sustainable features such as high recycled content and being locally sourced to reduce the carbon footprint. For example, the building features wood from trees harvested on the site during the construction phase. Construction of the new building generated 1,900 jobs for local tradespeople, adding between $30-40 million to the local economy.
More information about sustainability efforts from SAP may be found at the Sustainability at SAP section on sap.com. To preview and download broadcast-standard stock footage and press photos of the new building and its sustainability features, please visit www.sap.com/photos.
Next Major Event: SAPPHIRE® 2009 Orlando
More than 10,000 customers, partners and industry experts are convening at SAPPHIRE® 2009 to discover how SAP and its thriving partner ecosystem are delivering IT solutions that help today's best-run businesses achieve clarity in every area of their operations. SAP's premier educational and networking event, SAPPHIRE is the one occasion each year where senior executives, business managers and decision-makers can come together to explore how innovative business solutions foster long-term, profitable growth. SAPPHIRE 2009 will be held in Orlando, Florida, May 11-14. For more information, please visit www.sap.com/sapphire. Join the conversation via Twitter at #sapphire09.
In addition to SAPPHIRE 2009, SAP is also hosting SAP® World Tour 2009, a series of local events in more than 70 cities through Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. For more information, visit the SAP World Tour event page on sap.com.
Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.
Copyright © 2009 SAP AG. All rights reserved.
SAP, R/3, mySAP, mySAP.com, xApps, xApp, SAP NetWeaver and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries all over the world. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies. Data contained in this document serve informational purposes only. National product specifications may vary.
