Mortenson Construction Projects Awarded LEED® Certification

Denver, CO - Mortenson Construction is pleased to announce that two of its constructed projects have recently been awarded LEED® certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).  The Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center at Colorado College received LEED Gold certification, and the Commerce City Civic Center received LEED Silver certification.

“As we continue to focus on sustainable construction and build our expertise, the facilities we build are achieving important LEED certification for our clients,” said Bob Hansen, vice president and general manager of Mortenson Construction.  “Both of these projects had the goal of achieving LEED certification when they were first being designed, and it’s our pleasure to be part of the team that achieved Gold and Silver certification for our customers.”

The Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center at Colorado College is located in Colorado Springs and is a 72,419-square-foot arts teaching and performance building, designed by award-winning architect Antoine Predock.  The original goal for the project was LEED Silver, but through an integrated team approach the project was able to achieve LEED Gold.  It earned LEED points in the categories of sustainable sites; water efficiency; energy and atmosphere; materials and resources; indoor environmental quality; and innovation and design process.

Colorado College pursued LEED certification of the arts building as one of the campus’ many efforts toward sustainability. The college completed a comprehensive environmental inventory and sustainability plan; its long-term goal is to become carbon-regenerative and a net energy producer.

The Commerce City Civic Center, located in Commerce City, Colo., is a 90,000-square- foot building situated in the center of the 917-acre Prairie Gateway complex.  It was designed by RNL and constructed by Mortenson with sustainable features including the use of exterior wall materials designed for building efficiency, longevity and the ease of maintenance.  The unique enclosure elements include zinc metal panels, Ariscraft manufactured stone, and extensive use of curtainwall systems to enhance daylighting inside of the facility.  The roof system is comprised of a white TPO cool roof to reduce the buildings cooling load and improve building efficiency.  

About LEED
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System is a feature-oriented rating system where credits are earned for satisfying specified green building criteria. The five major environmental categories of review include: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. Certified, silver, gold and platinum levels of green building certification are awarded based on the total credits earned. The LEED standard has been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and local governments, and interested private companies as the guideline for sustainable building.