Most Successful Community Engagement

• MSU Denver’s SpringHill Suites by Marriott & Hospitality Learning Center

The public-private partnership between MSU Denver and Sage Hospitality involves a 150-suite hotel, and metro Denver’s first LEED-Gold hotel. The hotel and HLC earned a total of 62 LEED points for water efficiency, innovative design and sustainable site and materials selection.

“As Denver’s first LEED-Gold hotel, SpringHill Suites by Marriott Denver Downtown is honored to receive the Most Successful Engagement Award. Developed through a public-private partnership between MSU Denver and Sage Hospitality, the hotel offers a dynamic educational environment for hospitality students. Receiving on-the-job training from well-seasoned hoteliers who understand the importance of green building and practices in today’s competitive environment is vital to these students’ success in the hospitality field,” said Scott Perry, general manager, Springhill Suites.

Greenest Building of 2014 (New or Existing)

• The Wayne N. Aspinall Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse

The U.S. General Service Administration set lofty high-performance energy goals for this project, making it one of the first GSA historically registered projects to achieve LEED-Platinum certification and pursue an optimal goal of net-zero energy.

“This LEED-Platinum renovation preserves an anchor in Grand Junction, and converts the 1918 landmark into one of the most energy-efficient, sustainable historic buildings in the country. Acknowledging the federal government’s goal to be carbon-neutral by 2030, Wayne Aspinall creates a ‘green proving ground’ demonstrating how to potentially make an existing historic building perform at net-zero energy, 17 years ahead of schedule,” said Jo Barr, sr. associate, director of marketing, ME Group, for the team that included members from GSA, Westlake Reed Leskosky, and The Beck Group.

Executive Director’s Award

• The Alliance Center: The Alliance for Sustainable Colorado

The Alliance Center is a founding member of Denver’s 2030 District, houses 30-plus nonprofits working on sustainability issues, houses an event center to bring in sustainability thought leaders from across the world, and aims to be Colorado’s “hub of sustainability,” growing and uniting the sustainability movement.

“We are thrilled to be recognized as one of the recipients of USGBC Colorado’s First Annual Commercial Green Building Achievement Award. For the past 10 years, The Alliance Center has showcased innovative solutions in resource efficiency and worked with partners such as USGBC to promote wider adoption of high-performance building technologies. Our recent renovation strives to go even further by adding space design and occupant wellbeing to drive productivity and innovation,” said Anna Zawisza, executive director, Alliance for Sustainable Colorado.

The Green Building Legacy Award

• Denver Place

Denver Place had the honor of being the first Colorado building and the seventh in the country to earn the EPA’s ENERGY STAR Award (1999). Dozens of renovations contributed to the designation of Colorado’s first LEED-EB Gold in 2004. It received a second LEED-EB Gold designation in 2010.

“At LBA Realty, we strive to exceed expectations, with unmatched levels of service and attention to detail. In order to achieve excellence in all aspects of business, LBA is committed to environmental and social responsibility while enhancing the bottom line,” said Tanya Leung, general manager, LBA Realty.