CH2M Hill Gets 'Green' Award for Its South Building

The South Building is one of three buildings in Colorado to achieve a LEED TM certification. The LEED TM Green Building Rating System, developed and administered by the U.S. Green Building Council provides stringent criteria to judge the environmental sensitivity of a building.

"From the outset, the project team was committed to incorporating green building concepts into the project," says Andrea Ramage, CH2M HILL LEED TM project manager. "CH2M HILL's campus uses fewer natural resources than conventional commercial buildings, uses energy efficiently and provides high indoor air quality."

Environmental friendly features include:

· Reduced energy consumption and costs. The campus uses low emissivity glazing, an efficient economizer for an HVAC system, in conjunction with an evaporative condenser, variable frequency motor drives, and high efficiency, indirect lighting.

· Reduced consumption of potable water. Landscaping incorporates extensive environmental sensitivity in design and native plantings to conserve water and reflect the natural landscape. In addition, non-potable water is used exclusively for irrigation. To cut water consumption, interior water fixtures provide a 20% water reduction compared to conventional fixtures.

· Many of the building materials contain recycled materials and were manufactured within a 500-mile radius of Denver.

· Ninety percent of the office furniture contains high recycled-content materials and 85% of furniture packaging was reused or recycled.

· More than 50% of all waste leaving the construction site was recycled.

· Low volatile organic compound (VOC) materials (adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings and carpet) were used, and an Indoor Air Quality management plan was followed during construction.

· The campus is situated along a public bus route and provides bicycle racks, changing facilities, and showers for occupants. It is within walking distance to the Meridian Station stop on the future Regional Transit District Light Rail.

The entire CH2M HILL campus includes 370,000 sf of office space in three buildings which house about 1,000 employees. LEED TM certification for the other two buildings is now being explored.

The campus was developed by the Denver Technological Center, designed by Michael Barber Architecture and constructed by the Weitz company.

CH2M HILL is the largest privately held company in Colorado and a leader in environmental and energy-efficient design and construction projects.