Colorado Real Estate Journal - February 18, 2015
Colorado continues to LEED in green building. The U.S. Green Building Council 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. “Every story about a green building 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 factors in LEED’s potential in a given state to be part of the daily life of the state’s residents. This percapita 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 substantially to our national economic growth, create jobs and improve the quality of life in the communities where they are found. We commend the business and community 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 committed business and community leaders, policymakers and greenbuilding 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 institutional 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 totaling 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 green building, allowing for a fair comparison of the level of green building taking place among states with significant differences in population and, accordingly, number of overall buildings. “It is no surprise that the Centennial State continues to be a trailblazer for LEED certifications, and we are so proud to have made significant strides in the 2014 rankings, earning the No. 2 position on the list,” said Sharon Alton, executive director of the USGBC Colorado Chapter. “From cutting-edge projects like Union Station that are reimagining Denver’s downtown to the Colorado Convention Center, which showcases sustainability for visitors to our state, Coloradans 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 the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, recertified LEED Gold; Kaiser Permanente Lone Tree Medical Offices in Lone Tree, LEED Silver; University of Colorado’s Kittredge Central Hall in Boulder, LEED Gold; 1900 Sixteenth Street in Denver, LEED Platinum; Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s Morgridge Family Exploration Center in Denver, LEED Platinum; and 1670 Broadway in Denver, LEED Gold. The balance of the top 10 comprises Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, Hawaii, California, Georgia, Minnesota, and Arizona and New York (tied for 10th). Washington, 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. Worldwide, 4,502 projects were certified in 2014, representing 675.7 million sf.