Sizing Up LEED Certification

Before most maintenance and engineering managers even commit to a green building certification project, doubts surface. To truly become more environmentally responsible, commercial and institutional facilities — as well as building occupants and staff — must commit to change and go beyond traditional maintenance practices.

That transformation can be intimidating for any maintenance and engineering department. But when that department oversees the world’s largest commercial building, those uneasy feelings become even more prevalent.

“You could say it’s daunting,” says Mark Bettin, vice president of engineering with Merchandise Mart Properties Inc., which manages The Merchandise Mart in Chicago, the world’s largest commercial building.