Seven receive awards from U.S. Green Building Council

The U.S. Green Building Council Colorado has announced the winners of the second annual Commercial Real Estate Green Building Awards.

The winners are:

• Executive Director's Award: Dakota Outfall Project, replacing an aging stormwater system in south Denver.
• Exceptional Implementation of Sustainable Technologies Award: Marble Distilling Co., which is the first major commercial building to meet the requirements of the International Green Construction Code in the town of Carbondale, Colo. 
• Green Building Legacy Award: 1900 16th St.,  a 17-story commercial office building, that has been recognized as the first multi-tenant office building in Colorado to achieve LEED Platinum. 
• Most Successful Community Engagement Award: Aurora Public Schools, for  engaging the community through the Green Stars Program, an incentives program developed to award schools for their energy saving efforts. 
• Rise to the Challenge Award: Turntable Studios, a 13-story, 94,000-square-foot former hotel next to Sports Authority Field that has been transformed into Denver's first micro apartment project.  
• Green Dealmakers Award: GreenSpot Real Estate, an industry leader in adding value to real estate through green-building certifications and energy efficiency.
• Greenest Building Award: South Wing at St. Vrain, which is targeting LEED Platinum and pursuing credits in all areas of sustainability: energy savings, water efficiency, CO₂ emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.

The winners and finalists were selected by a jury of their peers and honored Dec. 1 at a gala reception at SPACE Gallery. 

"The finalists for this year's Commercial Green Building Achievement Awards are the best and brightest in Colorado's green building community," says Patti Mason, the council's executive director. "The awards are designed to celebrate these green building leaders and honor the projects they have worked on over the past year."

Finalists for the awards were:

Exceptional Implementation of Sustainable Technologies

• Aria Apartments: The new LEED Gold community is focused on energy efficiency and generational and socioeconomic diversity.
• CityScape at Belmar: CityScape at Belmar is on track to be LEED Platinum certified and will provide homes for households with a wide range of incomes in a very attractive, highly sustainable, cost-effective building. 
• University of Colorado | Colorado Springs:  The university has committed to constructing all new structures to a minimum of LEED Gold specifications. 
• Village at Westerly Creek II: Village at Westerly Creek II replaced the obsolete housing development, Buckingham Gardens, and was designed and built to incorporate ADA and UFAS requirements.  

Green Dealmakers: Most Sustainable Real Estate Company

• D4 Urban: D4 Urban is a Denver-based real estate development company focused on urban, infill, transit-oriented development opportunities. 
• Zocalo Community Development: Zocalo Community Development provides a range of services ideally suited to delivering and managing successful green development projects. 

Most Successful Community Engagement

• The Dakota Outfall Project: The Dakota Outfall Project was a successful public-private-partnership that was managed and delivered by the BMP Metro District and involved the City and County of Denver, Denver Urban Renewal Authority, and RTD. 

Greenest Building of 2015 (New or Existing)

• Factory Flats: Factory Flats is a new, sustainable, solar-powered, five-story mixed use building with 24 residential flats, plus retail and office space for lease in the heart of Denver's RiNo neighborhood.
• RTD Commuter Rail Maintenance Facility: The LEED Gold certified building features refrigerant flow systems, evaporative cooling, radiant floor heating, LED lighting and skylights for natural day light. Through a series of energy-saving designs, the facility achieved an energy savings of 32 percent. 

Contact Confluence Denver Development News Editor Margaret Jackson with tips and leads for future stories at margaret@confluence-denver.com.