Denver, Colorado

This facility features the following green attributes:
LEED-NC 2.1 Gold Certification
Green Power
ENERGY STAR

Region 8 Office

Total Facility Area: 248,849 rentable square feet (RSF) (EPA share)
Estimated Personnel: 775 EPA personnel
Energy Consumption: 16,534,400,525 British thermal units (Btu) per year (EPA share)
Estimated Btu per RSF per Year: 66,444
Estimated Water Consumption: 3,075,799 gallons per year
Gallons per RSF per Year: 12.36

All energy and water data are reported as of FY 2008.

Description

A grand opening ceremony was held March 6, 2007, to celebrate the opening of the Denver Regional Office. On hand to celebrate the opening were EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson, General Services Administration Administrator Lurita Doan, and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper.

EPA's Region 8 covers the mountain states of Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. In January 2007, the Region 8 Office relocated to a new facility leased by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) for EPA. EPA occupies the nine-story building through a 10-year lease with GSA. In September 2007, the facility received the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED^®) Gold-level certification for new construction. The facility, a product of more than three years of planning, design, and construction, serves as a hallmark of environmental sustainability in a prominent Lower Downtown Historic District location.

Photo of groundbreaking at new Denver facility.

Representatives prepare to break ground at the June 2005 ceremony. From left to right: Larry Trujillo, Regional Administrator for GSA; Robbie Roberts, Regional Administrator for EPA; Steve Johnson, EPA Administrator; John Hickenlooper, Mayor of Denver; Marshall Burton, OPUS; and Mr. Charles Bearrobe of the Oglala Lakota tribe.

Awards

In August 2008, the Denver Region 8 Office received the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design's American Architecture Award , the highest and most prestigious building award in the United States. It honors new cutting-edge design, urban philosophy, design approach, style, and intellectual substance in American architecture today.
In November 2007, DOE presented the Denver Region 8 Office with a Federal Energy Saver Showcase Award, which honors facilities that use cost-effective energy efficiency, water conservation, and renewable energy technologies.
The developer and owner of EPA's Region 8 Office, Opus Northwest LLC, was honored with a 2006 Downtown Denver Award for the facility for "helping to usher in a new era of sustainable development in Downtown Denver while respecting the distinct character of Lower Downtown."

Structuring the Acquisition to Maximize Results

EPA and GSA worked together to develop a two-step design competition for EPA's Region 8 Office so that the building represents the best in design, work environment, environmental performance, and security while providing a good value for the taxpayers.

Step 1: The first phase of the competition, completed in Spring 2004, consisted of evaluating numerous development teams, which included a real estate development firm, architecture/engineering firm, general contractor, commissioning agent, property management firm, and other specialty consultants. The teams were evaluated on their past performance, design and sustainable building experience, security expertise, financing capability, and other factors. The field was narrowed to five teams chosen to move on to the design phase of the competition.

Step 2: During the second phase of the competition, completed in Summer 2004, the five teams developed, refined, and presented schematic designs. Teams provided building renderings, site plans, floor plans, mechanical system descriptions, energy use estimates, water conservation strategies, construction material inventories, construction period waste recycling plans, commissioning plans, indoor air quality measures, and other information on the sustainable attributes of the building. In addition, the teams were required to demonstrate how they would meet new Department of Homeland Security requirements. In August 2004 the Opus team—consisting of OPUS Northwest, LLC, developer and owner; Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects LLP, architects; Syska Hennessy, mechanical/electrical engineers; and Hinman Consulting, security—was awarded the contract.

Environmental Features

You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.

To learn more about the energy-efficient design features incorporated in the Region 8 Office, view the following documents:

Setting a Standard for Sustainable Design (PDF) (2 pp, 1.8MB), created by EPA and GSA.
EPA Region 8 Headquarters USGBC Greenbuild Conference Brochure (PDF) (4 pp, 2.9MB), created by Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects.

Energy Conservation

The building in which the Region 8 office is located was awarded the ENERGY STAR^® label in 2008, with a score of 96.
Construction drawings were “Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR,” which helped establish a building rating target for the facility.
The under-floor air delivery system saves energy since the air is delivered from below the occupant and therefore does not require as much cooling as air from overhead ducts.
The heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system is set to work at lowest possible cooling loads in warm weather from high discharge air temperature (63° F). This allows for the use of warmer chilled water on all but the most humid days, which extends the use of chilled water from the cooling towers.
Daylight dimming controls on areas of the building perimeter reduce the amount of light needed when there is enough natural sunlight.
Building design provides for natural light in 85 percent of floor space. Reflective surfaces, task lighting, daylighting dimmers and occupancy sensors reduce energy use as the lights are only on when the room is occupied and automatically turn off in empty rooms.
Air side economizers and a heat recovery system reduces emissions and improve energy performance.
All mechanical and electrical systems were commissioned systematically for quality assurance
Interim energy modeling shows:
- With plug loads (task lights, computers, copiers, etc.), 11,800 Btu per square foot per year will be saved, which is 20.3 percent better than ASHRAE 90.1-1999 base case per standard of 58,300 kBtu per square foot per year.

Incremental Energy Savings Pie Chart

Pie Chart showing Denver's incremental energy savings. Chart is accurate as of December 2006.

Green Power

EPA offsets 100 percent of the electricity consumption at the Region 8 office with renewable energy certificates (RECs) purchased through the Agency's current blanket green power contract. Learn more about EPA's current and past blanket green power contracts.
In January 2007, EPA entered into a two-year contract with 3 Degrees, Inc. to purchase 3.5 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of green power annually for EPA's new Region 8 Office in Denver, Colorado. This contract supported the generation of renewable energy in the form of renewable energy certificates (RECs) from wind turbines in six Western states. Procured by the Western Area Power Administration, the purchase helped offset 100 percent of the annual electricity consumption at EPA's Region 8 Office.
In November 2006, 10 kilowatts of photovoltaics (PVs) were added to the 9th floor penthouse roof. The array is composed of 48 panels, which produce 215 watts each. The grid-tied PV system provides power when the emergency generator is running to reduce generator load and fuel consumption.
In October 2004, EPA entered into a three-year contract with Aquila, Inc. to purchase 4.7 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of green power annually for EPA's existing Region 8 Office in Denver, Colorado. This contract supported the generation of renewable energy in the form of renewable energy certificates (RECs) from wind turbines at Colorado Green Wind Project facilities in Prowers County, Colorado. Procured by the Western Area Power Administration , the purchase offset 100 percent of the annual electricity consumption at EPA's Region 8 Office.

Close up image of the PV panel on the Denver roof.

Images of the pv panels located on the roof of the Denver facility.

Green Building

The building is LEED-NC 2.1 Gold certified. Through lease documents, EPA and GSA required that the building be certified at the LEED-NC Silver level at a minimum. However, the building was able to achieve a higher certification level certification. View the LEED Scorecard for Denver (PDF) (1 pg, 38K).

Green Roof

Photo of the Region 8 Office's green roof with a view of Downtown.

The upper levels of the building feature a three-terraced, 20,000-square-foot green roof.
The extensive planting scheme consists of grasses, perennials, and groundcovers selected in accordance with USDA hardiness zone classification in 2'x2' or 2'x4' modules with 4" soil depth.
The green roof is expected to minimize heat island effects, absorb carbon dioxide, and contribute to an estimated 26.7 percent reduction in stormwater runoff.
More information on the green roof can be found on EPA's Region 8 Web site.

Water Conservation

The building maximizes water conservation through low-flow plumbing fixtures, water-conserving mechanical system design, and low-maintenance landscape design using sustainable and native species.
All plumbing fixtures have low-flow devices including aerators and auto-closing faucets to reduce water and energy use.
Waterless urinals installed in men's restrooms reduce water consumption by 36 percent. Dual flush toilets were also installed in women's restrooms.

Stormwater Management

The building has an extensive green roof that was designed in accordance with Denver's 2004 Water Quality Management Plan. With pollutant removal rates that meet the design standards for the City and County of Denver, the green roof was approved as the sole best management practice to treat stormwater runoff from the entire facility. For more information, see Stormwater Management at EPA Facilities.

Waste Reduction and Recycling - Construction

Throughout the planning, construction, and operation of the new facility, EPA required that the design and development team maximize resource conservation by selecting materials with postconsumer recycled content, recycling construction waste, and designing space for ongoing recycling efforts.
More than 75 percent of building construction waste was recycled and therefore diverted from landfills.

Waste Reduction and Recycling - Operations

An extensive facility recycling program and green housekeeping measures focus on a sustainable, healthy, and productive work environment.

Other Features

Indoor air quality is controlled through careful placement of exhaust and air intakes and the use of low volatile organic compound interior adhesives, paints, sealants, and caulks, as well as environmentally preferable janitorial and cleaning products.
Some of the floors are made of bamboo, which is a rapidly renewable fiber and has a lower environmental impact than traditional wood floors.
The building's location near Denver's Union Station offers access to multiple public transportation options, and extensive bike parking and shower facilities are available in the building.
Interior shades, exterior vertical fins, and atrium sails control daylight, solar heat gain and glare.

Photo of sails in Denver Region 8 Office atrium.

Close up photo of sails in Denver Region 8 Office atrium.

Sails in the building atrium help alleviate glare and control heat from daylighting.

For More Information

Following are summaries of the environmental provisions included in the solicitation for offers (SFOs) for the Region 8 office building:

Region 8 Office SFO Environmental Provisions (PDF) (5 pp, 43K)
Region 8 Office SFO Environmental Provisions II (PDF) (18 pp, 251K)

Contact

Bill Daniels (daniels.william@epa.gov)
U.S. EPA Region 8
1595 Wynkoop Street
Denver, CO 80202
Phone: (303) 312-6074

Cathy Berlow (berlow.cathy@epa.gov)
EPA Headquarters
Ronald Reagan Building (3204R)
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460
Phone: (202) 564-3739

To take a tour of the Denver Region 8 Office, contact:
Patty Provencher (provencher.patricia@epa.gov)
1595 Wynkoop Street
Denver, CO 80202
Phone: (303) 312-6836

Web site: www.epa.gov/region8