Arraj Courthouse - a Model of Sustainability
WASHINGTON, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- 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. In
this role, GSA acquires products and services on behalf of federal agencies;
plays a key role in developing and implementing government-wide policies;
provides services and solutions for the office operations of more than one
million federal workers; and encourages a citizen-centric relationship with
government by providing a single "point of entry" to the information and
services citizens need in a timeframe they can appreciate. This allows
citizens to receive accurate, timely and consistent answers and information,
and helps federal agencies better respond to citizen inquiries.
SOURCE U.S. General Services Administration
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Related links:
http://www.gsa.gov
CONTACT:
MaryAnne Beatty of U.S. General Services
Administration, +1-202-501-1231, maryanne.beatty@gsa.gov
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