LEED Green Power for CTA Architects

CTA Architects Engineers recently announced that its Billings, MT office has achieved LEED Gold status under the USGBC’s LEED-EB rating system. Among the purchase of green power in the form of renewable energy credits (RECs) to offset 100% of the building's energy use, some of the sustainable practices employed that contributed to the building’s newly awarded LEED status were:

•    40% reduction in building water use
•    50% reduction in potable water use for irrigation
•    Employee alternative commuting plan
•    Direct/indirect evaporative cooling system
•    95% efficient condensing boilers
•    Retro-commissioning performed to ensure equipment is and will continue to operate at its highest efficiencies
•    Natural daylight, lighting controls and individual task lighting
•    Sustainable purchasing policy
•    Green cleaning program
•    Materials recyling

The building also received an Energy Star rating of 82, placing it in the top 18% of energy efficient office buildings nationwide.

CTA has received the 2008 Montana Business of the Year Award by the Montana Ambassadors, was ranked in the Top 150 Architecture and Engineering Firms of 2007 by Architectural Record, and was placed 9th in the nation for the best architecture firms of 2007 to work for by ZweigWhite, the business information experts for architecture, engineering, and construction. CTA also has over 80 LEED APs working on staff.

CTA bought renewable energy credits (RECs) from Renewable Choice in 2008 for all 16 of their offices, and used the RECs for their Billings location toward gaining their LEED certification under the green power credit.

PERSONALLY SPEAKING

The more buildings that go for LEED Gold and Platinum status the better – with each one that meets these standards, we progress toward greater sustainability and grow closer to weaning ourselves off of practices that degrade the environment. According to the USGBC, buildings use 72% of all the electricity consumed in the U.S., 39% of all energy use, and are responsible for 38% of all CO2 emissions. And judging by the practices employed by CTA for their Billings office, they’re really helping to reduce these numbers. ~ Matt

Matt Kiszka is the LEED and Greenbuilding initiatives project manager for Renewable Choice