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When Gerding Edlen sold the historic Dexter | Horton Building in Seattle to Hong Kong-based Great Eagle Holdings last month, the $124.4 million price was 61 percent greater than the price the development firm paid just two years ago, according to .

Just how much that drastic increase is due to the building’s environmental capabilities is hard to determine, but it doesn’t hurt, said Gretchen Sweeney of the U.S. Green Building Council.

Sweeney, who heads up the LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Operations Team for the USGBC, said that many factors come into play when a building is up for sale.

鈥淏uildings are complicated systems, and (their value) depends on what features you’re including, but various studies show that LEED (ratings) improve lease upgrades,鈥� she said.

The Dexter | Horton Building, according to an article on the USGBC website, recently became the first building in the country recertified using the criteria of the LEED Dynamic Plaque. The building, constructed in 1924, originally received a LEED gold rating in 2009. The Dynamic Plaque recertifies that rating by measuring the real-time performance of energy, water, waste, transportation and human experience.

LEED Dynamic Plaque measurements, according to information at , is accessed two ways: through a 鈥減owerful performance software鈥� accessible at the website and in a building’s lobby via a visual display that shows performance scores to building occupants,聽 tenants and visitors.

Renee Loveland, sustainability director at Gerding Edlen, said her company wanted to make sure that the Dexter | Horton Building’s LEED certification was kept up-to-date and decided to adopt the LEED Dynamic Plaque methodology.

鈥淲e knew the LEED certification was coming up for renewal, and the LEED Dynamic Plaque had been issued in pilot form,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o we were excited about the opportunity to consider that platform and worked closely with USGBC.鈥�

Loveland said one way the LEED Dynamic Plaque differs from other LEED ratings is that it brings tenants’ actions into the mix.

鈥淭ypically, when (a building) goes through a recertification process, it involves a lot of folks like the leasing staff and building owners, but building users aren’t directly involved,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut now we have a platform of engagement with the users of the building.鈥�

Although a building’s makeup determines potential energy performance, occupants determine energy efficiency, Loveland said, and Gerding Edlen actively engaged tenants in the recertification process.

鈥淲e held an event at the building and invited everyone to come when we explained what happened, how certification plays out and their role in that,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hen we had another party when it was recertified and we talked about specifics and actually showed the results in each category.鈥�

By seeing the display in the building’s lobby or checking it online, tenants can see how their actions affect the building’s performance, Kunal Gulati states in the USGBC article.

鈥淭he plaque offers visual validation along with feedback from (tenant) surveys,鈥� Gulati writes. 鈥淭his platform makes it much easier for tenants to understand how their choices and actions matter.鈥�

Gulati points out that recycling and composting, energy and water conservation and use of alternative transportation options all factor into LEED Dynamic Plaque points. In addition, the Dexter | Horton Building’s renovated bicycle room has helped encourage approximately 65 percent of occupants to commute via something other than a motor vehicle.

Loveland agreed that it’s difficult to put a price tag on a LEED designation.

鈥淭he value of a property is from a number of factors,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 believe that focusing on keeping (the) building green with LEED certification and an engagement platform that the Dynamic Plaque provides helps instill an environmental mission to the building’s users.鈥�

Loveland added that she doesn’t think it’s appropriate so say how much a LEED rating contributes to a building’s value and that her company’s goal is to 鈥渃reate environmentally responsible (buildings).鈥�

Gerding Edlen has done that many times, according to Gulati, who writes that it has developed or redeveloped 54 LEED-rated buildings throughout the Northwest.