GSA Project Spotlighted at World Sustainable Building Conference

By Consulting Specifying Engineer Staff October 10, 2005

Denver’s Alfred A. Arraj United States Courthouse, which we wrote about in the CSE April 2004 issue (https://www.csemag.com/article/CA412039.html), was recently highlighted at the 2005 World Sustainable Building Conference in Tokyo, Japan.

The courthouse, built by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), was the only submission by the 2005 U.S. Team for the Green Building Challenge, an international effort to evaluate and improve the performance of buildings worldwide. Members of the U.S. Team include some of the top experts in the country in sustainable design. Started in 1996, the Green Building Challenge, a collaboration among 12 participating countries, was established to develop approaches for measuring the environmental performance of buildings taking into account regional and national conditions.

“GSA was honored to have one of its buildings recognized by the international build-green community,” said Don Horn, GSA’s Director of Sustainable Design. “The Arraj Courthouse showcases the agency’s commitment to incorporating principles of sustainable design and energy efficiency into all of its building projects.”

The U.S. Team’s presentation included results from the Green Building Assessment Tool, an international evaluation tool, and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system, the predominant rating system used in the U.S.ergy efficiency, selection of materials and indoor environmental quality.

Completed in 2002, the Arraj Courthouse, designed by HOK and Anderson Mason Dale Architects, was built to house the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. The 320,000-sq.-ft. facility includes a 10-story tower with 14 courtrooms and a two-story pavilion.

To find out more about GSA’s sustainable design program, visit www.gsa.gov/sustainabledesign .