Old Main building under construction Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Sarah Taylor/CU Independent)
Architectural designers at the University of Colorado Boulder are taking part in a global movement for sustainable building practices in an effort to reduce climate impact.
CU Boulder is renovating century-old buildings on campus such as Old Main and Hellems Arts and Sciences, focusing on window replacement and energy-efficient upgrades. According to d’Andre Willis, campus architect and director of planning, the renovations will increase structural integrity to make the buildings last longer and make the spaces more enjoyable for students and faculty.
The university has implemented guidelines from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a rating system and certificate for sustainable buildings created by the U.S. Green Building Council in 1998. Currently, CU Boulder has at least 31 LEED-certified buildings on campus.
For new or existing buildings to become certified under the current LEED v4.1, they must have at least 40 points in various categories such as building materials, carbon footprint, housing and job proximity of site, transportation access, energy efficiency, water restoration and protection of surrounding ecosystems.
In 2023, the U.S. Green Building Council ranked Colorado as No. 8 in the U.S. for LEED. As of November 2024, the state has roughly 2,800 LEED-certified buildings across 11 million square feet of area.
The Colorado Office of the State Architect established a statute in 2010 requiring LEED Gold certification for new and renovated state buildings, including at CU Boulder.
Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum are the four levels of LEED ranking from moderate sustainability with 40 points to high sustainability at 80 points or more. Benefits of certification include support for future maintenance, waste reduction and potential tax breaks.
The first certification was in 2003 for the National Geographic Society building in Washington, D.C. In a 2024 annual stat report, the U.S. Green Building Council estimated that the cumulative total of LEED certificates is 197,000. The annual total of LEED certificates granted globally from 2014 to 2024 ranges from 6,000 to 8,000.
CU Boulder Sustainability Program Manager Ed von Bleichert has held multiple environmental positions on campus since he graduated from the university. Throughout his career, von Bleichert found that students have “a proud history” in pushing and funding green building on campus.
“It was students who had to vote to impose more student fees on themselves,” von Bleichert said. “It’s safe to say students have put their money where their mouth is on that particular issue (green building).”
According to von Bleichert, there are currently five completed buildings awaiting their certificates.
“LEED is not just about having that plaque and putting it on the building,” said Jeremy Ehly, a professor of architecture and product design at CU Boulder and a LEED certificate accredited professional. “Certification is a learning opportunity for designers to think sustainably. It’s created a culture.”
Prior to teaching, Ehly helped certify two projects. From those experiences, he described the documentation process for certification as a difficult task but rewarding in the end.
“LEED frames the building process in a way that people just learn more along the way. I definitely learned things,” Willis, the campus architect, said. “I’m also focused on all sorts of things that can help people be more relaxed and feel better physically.”
CU Boulder architects are now planning future renovations for Farrand Hall and, in April of last year, they began building a new residence building near the current graduate and family apartment buildings north of Boulder Creek with goals of sustainability and comfort.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Sarah Taylor at Sarah.Taylor-2@colorado.edu.
