Rob B OPI Concept Salon Awarded Prestigious LEED® Green Building Certification

Los Angeles Architect Richard Best announced today that his project, the ROB B OPI Concept Salon, has been awarded world’s first LEED® Silver Certification of a nail salon. LEED® is the nation’s preeminent program for green design and construct

Los Angeles (I-Newswire) December 14, 2011 - Architect Richard Best, CEO and founder of Richard Best Architect, Inc., announced today that their project, the ROB B OPI Concept Salon, has been awarded world’s first LEED® Silver Certification of a nail salon, as established by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). LEED® is the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. Achieving LEED® Silver Certification is difficult and globally significant.

“Building operations are nearly 40% of the solution to the global climate change challenge,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of the U.S. Green Building Council. “While climate change is a global problem, innovative companies like ROB B OPI Concept Salon are addressing it through local solutions.”

The design was complicated because of having to provide treatment sterility while overcoming the noxious fumes of nail polish and exposure to potentially harmful cleaning chemicals, which are typical of the nail salon industry. The architects realized that this project could only become ecologically sound and a truly healthy human environment with a dedicated effort of both the architects and the ownership team.

Environmental design and stewardship are not new to Best and his practice – Mr. Best first began designing eco-friendly buildings while still in college studying architecture in 1979, before it was the “chic thing to do.” In June of 2009, at UN Headquarters in New York, Best received a “Best Practices Award” from the Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Organization (a multi-national Treaty sanctioned renewable energy organization), for his career-long commitment to sustainable building design.

Eco-conscious buildings were also familiar to Rob B Salon and GS & MS Properties, the owners of the building. Both companies were keenly aware of corporate social/environmental responsibility – both having a vision of the future that recognized the need for corporations and businesses to behave differently – to provide for better human health, conserve natural resources, reduce risks and ultimately increase their profits by doing so. An Eco-Dream was formed from an architect with sustainable design expertise and owners committed to green solutions.

“The green building movement offers an unprecedented opportunity to respond to the most-important challenges of our time, including global climate change, dependence on non-sustainable and expensive sources of energy and threats to human health,” said Mr. Fedrizzi,. “The work of innovative building projects such as ROB B OPI Concept Salon is a fundamental driving force in the green building movement.”

About Richard Best Architect, Inc.
After apprenticing under world renowned architect, Charles W. Moore, Richard Best became a California licensed architect in 1986, then he became nationally registered by NCARB in 1989 and a LEED® Accredited Professional in 2010 (BD+C). In 1988, with a full breadth of professional experience behind him and believing it incumbent upon architects to continuously strive to improve the human condition and respect the natural environment, Mr. Best established Richard Best Architect, Inc., in Los Angeles, California. As a seasoned professional practice with a deep understanding of sustainability concepts and technology in energy, waste, carbon emissions, green building and other areas, the firm is able to identify tools, capitalize upon opportunities and mobilize resources for sustainability planning and implementation. Richard Best Architect, Inc. specializes in sustainable design and corporate sustainability visioning, culture building, strategic program creation and implementation to leverage the social, branding, and financial values of sustainability into profit-driven initiatives, operational cost reductions and risk diminution. Richard Best Architect, Inc. provides their clients with homogenous real-time sustainability solutions for short-term business needs and long-term corporate sustainability success. Read more about Mr. Best and Richard Best Architect, Inc, at http://www.richardbestarchitect.com and http://ecobestpractices.blogspot.com.

About the Rob B OPI Concept Salon
In March of 2009, The Rob B OPI Concept Salon was established to provide high-end manicure/pedicure and massage services using OPI Products, providing a comfortable atmosphere to enhance client’s physical appearance and soothe their souls within a “green” retail environment. The salon is filled with the most comfortable furnishings, and the most talented, experienced professionals stand by, waiting to serve you. At ROB B your well-being is our first priority. The salon is committed to providing a healthy, safe salon environment and proudly uses the latest in salon sanitation procedures to ensure that the most stringent salon regulations are exceeded. http://www.robbsalon.com/

About U.S. Green Building Council & LEED
The Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. With a community comprising 80 local affiliates, more than 18,000 member companies and organizations, and more than 167,000 LEED® Professional Credential holders, USGBC is the driving force of an industry that is projected to contribute $554 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product from 2009-2013. The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED® green building certification system is the foremost program for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. Over 100,000 projects are currently participating in the LEED® rating systems, comprising over 8 billion square feet of construction space in all 50 states and 114 countries. http://www.usgbc.org/