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February 18-March 3, 2015 — COLORADO REAL ESTATE JOURNAL — Page 31
Integrity | Leadership | Passion | Excellence SWINERTON BUILDS TOMORROW
Continue... to expect great partners.
STEPHEN LOVE SUPERINTENDENT
I was proud to be part of this
project. This was a workspace our
client was pleased with and it was
a pleasure to work with them and
the design team.
- GCIC & The Piton Foundation
designed by OZ Architecture
“
”
Green Building
Colorado continues to LEED in
green building.
The U.S. Green Building Coun-
cil released its annual ranking of
the top 10 states in the nation for
LEED-certified space. Colorado
ranked second in 2014 for LEED
green building per capita, up from
No. 8 in 2013.
“Everystoryaboutagreenbuild-
ing is a story about people,” said
Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and founding
chair, USGBC. “USGBC’s annual
recognition of the Top 10 States for
LEED goes beyond gross square
feet or number of projects and fac-
tors in LEED’s potential in a given
state to be part of the daily life
of the state’s residents. This per-
capita approach tells a great story
about how LEED has become
an important benchmark in the
transformation of the nation’s
built environment. LEED-certified
buildings and the innovations
they have driven contribute sub-
stantially to our national economic
growth, create jobs and improve
the quality of life in the commu-
nities where they are found. We
commend the business and com-
munity leaders, policymakers and
green-building professionals in
each of these states for making the
commitment to create a healthier,
more sustainable future.
“Colorado has so many com-
mitted business and community
leaders, policymakers and green-
building professionals who are
using LEED to transform their
built environment, producing
many innovative spaces that will
improve the health of our shared
planet, as well as the health of the
people who use those buildings
every day,” added Fedrizzi.
The per-capita list is based
on 2010 U.S. Census data and
includes commercial and institu-
tional green building projects that
were certified throughout 2014.
Colorado certified 102 projects
representing 15.82 million square
feet of real estate, or 3.15 sf per
resident, in 2014.
Illinois topped the list in 2014
with 174 certified projects total-
ing 42.48 million sf, or 3.31 sf per
resident.
USGBC calculates the list using
per-capita figures as a measure of
the human element of greenbuild-
ing, allowing for a fair compari-
son of the level of green building
taking place among states with
significant differences in popula-
tion and, accordingly, number of
overall buildings.
“It is no surprise that the Cen-
tennial State continues to be a trail-
blazer for LEED certifications, and
we are so proud to have made
significant strides in the 2014 rank-
ings, earning the No. 2 position on
the list,” said SharonAlton, execu-
tive director of the USGBC Colo-
rado Chapter. “From cutting-edge
projects like Union Station that are
reimagining Denver’s downtown
to the Colorado Convention Cen-
ter, which showcases sustainabil-
ity for visitors to our state, Colora-
dans have always prioritized the
health of our built environment.
As the rest of the country eyes
Colorado’s intrinsic attributes and
the regional economy continues to
experience an upswing, we look
forward to continuing to push the
envelope in green building.”
Projects that were certified in
Colorado in 2014 include theColo-
rado Convention Center in Den-
ver, recertified LEED Gold; Kai-
ser Permanente Lone Tree Medi-
cal Offices in Lone Tree, LEED
Silver; University of Colorado’s
Kittredge Central Hall in Boul-
der, LEED Gold; 1900 Sixteenth
Street in Denver, LEED Platinum;
Denver Museum of Nature & Sci-
ence’s Morgridge Family Explo-
ration Center in Denver, LEED
Platinum; and 1670 Broadway in
Denver, LEEDGold.
The balance of the top 10 com-
prises Maryland, Virginia, Massa-
chusetts, Hawaii, California, Geor-
gia, Minnesota, and Arizona and
New York (tied for 10th). Wash-
ington, D.C., which has 29.44 per
sf of certified space per resident, is
not ranked as it is a federal district.
Collectively, 1,662 commercial
and institutional projects became
LEED certified within the top 10
states in 2014, representing 251.7
million sf of real estate. World-
wide, 4,502 projects were certified
in 2014, representing 675.7 million
sf.s
The Colorado Convention Center was part of 15.82 million square feet of real estate LEED certified in the
state in 2014.
The building at 1125 17th St. also
was certified in 2014.