By Rhonda Miller
PBN Staff Writer

Fidelity Investments’ award for The Outstanding Building of the Year from The Building Owners and Managers Association in Boston is a first for a Rhode Island building since the competition began in 1985, said association spokeswoman Kayla Burmeister.

“This is a big win for the commercial real estate industry in Rhode Island,” said Burmeister. “These are the Oscars for the industry.”

Fidelity Investments’ award in the corporate-building category was one of 14 presented by BOMA on Nov. 15. BOMA Boston has members from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine.

Fidelity Investments’ winning building at 900 Salem Street is the third and newest one on the Smithfield site.

In addition to the marble floors and wave structure of the ceiling in the main entrance, the 577,000-square-foot, five-story Class A office building has outdoor landscaping with natural stone formations, white birch trees and indigenous flowering plants, characteristics that added to the high ranking in the competition, according to BOMA.

Because the recognition focuses on building management and includes impact on the community, employee participation in environmental preservation and the certification by the Wildlife Habitat Council in 2006 added strength to the ranking, Burmeister said.

“That was a highlight of their entry. Being certified by the Wildlife Habitat Council is a unique thing for a corporate building to do,” Burmeister said.

LEED Silver certification is also a plus, she said.

“This is a tremendous honor. We designed the building to be efficient, attractive and a great place to work,” said John Muggeridge, vice president of public affairs for Fidelity Investments in Rhode Island.

“Over the last 15 years we have gone from zero employees in Rhode Island to 3,500 employees in Rhode Island,” Muggeridge said. The company added 500 jobs at the Rhode Island campus during 2012, he said.

Fidelity Investments’ Smithfield location also has three corporate headquarters, Muggeridge said.

Pyramis Global Advisors, a Fidelity Investments company with assets under management totaling more than $190 billion, according to company information, is headquartered on the Smithfield campus.