All New Scottsdale Public Buildings to be LEED Gold Certified

All New Scottsdale Public Buildings to be LEED Gold Certified

Scottsdale, Ariz., Mayor Mary Manross recently announced Resolution 6644, which requires that all new occupied city buildings, of any size, be designed, contracted and built to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). In addition, all future renovations and nonoccupied city buildings will be designed, contracted and built to include as many principles of both the LEED program and the city's Green Building Program where feasible. The resolution is the first citywide resolution in the country to require LEED Gold.

In 1998, Scottsdale established Arizona’s first Green Building Program. The residential home program was developed to encourage environmentally responsible building in the Sonoran Desert region by incorporating healthy, resource-efficient and energy-efficient materials and methods in the design and construction of homes. The program’s goals are to reduce the environmental impact of building; achieve both short and long-term savings of energy, water and other natural resources; and encourage a healthier indoor environment.

The new Scottsdale Senior Center will be the first LEED Gold city facility. Construction began at the beginning of 2005 and is slated for completion by November 2005. City partners are also seeking to achieve LEED standards. The ASU Foundation has committed to LEED certification for the new ASU Scottsdale Center for New Technology and Innovation at the former Los Arcos Mall site. It will be the largest commercial project in the city with LEED certification.

In addition to these projects, the city has developed a commercial green building checklist designed to account for commercial development in the regional context of the Sonoran desert. This will build on the success of the residential green building program and the newly adopted city green building LEED policy.

"This is a historic moment for Scottsdale, for Arizona and for the green building movement," said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair, U.S. Green Building Council. "The city of Scottsdale is to be commended for their leadership and vision."

Published 04/21/2005