PRESS RELEASE
Colorado Department of Labor and Employment • 1515 Arapahoe, Tower 2, Suite 400 • Denver, CO80202(303) 318-8004 • Fax: (303) 318-8070
For Immediate Release
Date:July 30, 2005
Contact:Office of Government and Public Relations
Phone:(303) 318-8004
Fax:(303) 318-8070
Web:
STATE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR ITS ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN
(DENVER) -- Simple choices can make big environmental impacts. That’s the philosophy behind an innovative construction project undertaken by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. The Department’s unemployment insurance operations, which had been housed in two separate buildings, were recently consolidated into one location at 251 East 12th Avenue and, to do that, the Department remodeled the old building and constructed a four story extension to it.
The newly renovated and expanded building has received national recognition by the U.S. Green Building Council. The council is the nation’s foremost coalition of leaders from the construction and architectural industries, working together to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible. The building at 251 East 12th Avenue received LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)certification for its conservation of materials and resources in its construction phase as well as its energy efficiency, water conservation and general atmosphere.
“We’re proud of this recognition,” says Rick Grice, Executive Director of the Department of Labor and Employment. “This is the first state project that is not a part of Higher Education to become certified. For Colorado, it’s a watershed moment and we hope this building will become a demonstration project for future LEED certification projects across the state. There are fewer than 100 LEED certified projects in the country right now but we hope this achievement will lead to more government and private sector building projects being designed here in Colorado for energy efficiency and a commitment to the highest performance standards.”
Grice adds that the Department of Labor and Employment received valuable support from Governor Owens and the Governor’s Office of Energy Management and Conservation in this project. “Early on, you have to decide if you are going to be serious about LEED certification,” he says, “and Governor Owens supported our efforts from the beginning.”
A project of this size and scope requires that kind of top-down support explains Christopher Nims, a principal architect with David Owen Tryba Architects, the firm that designed the building. “There are decisions that have to be made before pencil ever touches paper, decisions that will affect how you design the building and the materials you select. Every component, every guideline, every mark of the pen must be done with consideration of the environmental implications.
“The building at 251 East 12th Avenue supports the lungs of the employees who work in the Unemployment Insurance program because we’ve paid close attention to putting products in the building that don’t produce harmful chemicals like formaldehyde and other chemicals I can’t even pronounce,” he laughs.
“It’s basically just good design, things that architects and designers and planners and facility managers should be thinking about anyway. We’ve begun to realize that this should be an ethic that every designer, every architect, every engineer should just do out of an obligation to society and public health, safety and welfare. It’s about the protection of the planet.”
LEED puts a premium on constructing buildings with superior interior air quality, access to views, daylight and natural ventilation. As a result, building occupants benefit from a healthier, more pleasant environment. “We used formaldehyde-free wood products and non-toxic paints and sealants,” Nims says. “The choices we’ve made have saved water usage in the building. Our higher efficiency boiler is saving about 25% in energy usage. The insulation value of the glass we used, especially on the west side of the building, and aluminum mini-blinds that have a reflective capacity have all made a difference.”
“Of course, we are grateful for this recognition from the U.S. Green Building Council,” says Rick Grice, “but our real reward is in what we have created. In this project, we combined healthy, high-quality and high-performance advantages with greatly reduced environmental impacts. So even prior to achieving this certification, we had already achieved so much. It’s rewarding to know that this effort will be paying benefits to the environment and the taxpayers of Colorado for many years after the Owens administration is gone.”
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