The Alfred A. Arraj United States Courthouse located in Denver, Colorado, was recently highlighted at the 2005 World Sustainable Building Conference in Tokyo, Japan.
WASHINGTON — The Alfred A. Arraj United States Courthouse located in Denver, Colorado, 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 US Team include some of the top experts in the country in sustainable design. Started in 1996, the Green Building Challenge, 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(R)) green building rating system, the predominant rating system used in the United States. Some of the design features included extensive use of daylight, low-emitting materials, wood from sustainably managed forests, high-performance glazing, and evaporative cooling. GSA is anticipating receiving a Silver LEED(R) rating for the courthouse for its sustainable site development, water savings, energy 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 US District Court for the District of Colorado. The 320,000 square foot facility includes a 10-story tower with 14 courtrooms and a two-story pavilion.
GSA's Public Buildings Service is the landlord for the civilian Federal Government with the mission of providing a superior workplace for the Federal worker and superior value to the American taxpayer. To find out more about GSA's sustainable design program, visit http://www.gsa.gov/sustainabledesign.
GSA is a centralized, federal procurement, property management, policy development and information provision agency, created by Congress to improve government efficiency and help federal agencies better serve the public.
Source: PR Newswire, U.S. General Services Administration
