Page 60 - CCD Magazine-Spring 2019

Charlie Woodruff
Charlie Woodruff is the Mountain Region Director, U.S. Green Building Council.
Colorado Building Green Year after Year, Colorado Leads
When it Comes to LEED
by Charlie Woodruff
COLORADO
There are few better indicators of leadership in the green building realm than to be consistently ranked among
the Top 10 States for LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). In 2018, Colorado ranked sixth in the nation for LEED, a four-place jump from its tenth ranking the year before. Colorado is one of only two states, along with Illinois, which ranked first in 2018, to make USGBC’s Top 10 list every year since its inception in 2010. That’s quite
an achievement.
The annual ranking is based on the number of LEED certified square feet of space per person in the previous calendar year. In 2017, Colorado rounded off the list, coming in at number 10 in the nation, after certifying a total of 76 commercial projects, equaling more than 11.4 million square feet and representing 2.27 square feet of certified space per person. In 2018, Colorado certified 114 projects,
a jump of 38 projects from the year before, equaling more than 17 million square feet and representing 3.39 square feet of certified space per person.
Every project that certified last year, and all those that are registered, have reason to be proud. LEED spaces use less energy and water, save money for families, businesses and taxpayers, reduce carbon emissions and create a healthier environment for occupants and the community at large. Buildings like the Hudson, Colo. Town Hall earned LEED Gold due to careful consideration of the
site and connection to the community. It was designed to encourage the use of alternative transportation and maximizes open green space by building up, rather than building out. Green building strategies can be applied to almost all space types and schools are a place to demonstrate leadership in a way that puts students first. Jones Hall at the Colorado School for the Deaf and
60 | Colorado Construction & Design
the Blind serves the student body for both education
and residential purposes and earned LEED Gold in late December 2018. The building included energy and water efficient appliances, utilized natural lighting and installed ventilation systems to maximize indoor air quality. Not only are buildings on schools campuses healthier for students, but they are better places to learn, live and develop life skills.
At the city level, USGBC’s LEED for Cities rating system
is meant to revolutionize the way cities are planned, developed and operated and work to improve the quality of life of citizens by providing a framework for measuring and managing the performance of water consumption, energy use, human experience, waste and transportation on a city-wide level. Three cities in Colorado – Steamboat Springs, Durango and Fort Collins – have earned certification through LEED for Cities.
From Hudson to Fort Collins to Denver and beyond, the diversity of projects and communities represented on Colorado’s 2018 list is significant. We look forward to another year of growth in 2019 as we work toward a better quality of life for everyone using the LEED green building rating system.