2007 – For sustainability, 1155 Canyon took the LEED

BOULDER — As green building gained momentum in Boulder, the new four-story building at 1155 Canyon Blvd. stood out as a pacesetter in 2007.

Located at Broadway and Canyon on the former site of Trios Wine Bar and Gallerie, the mixed-used development was the city’s first private project to qualify for certification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED.

First National Bank of Colorado moved in as the primary tenant of the 99,000-square-foot building’s commercial portion. Other office tenants included accounting firm EKS&H, Wachovia Securities and AMG Bank. The building also was home to 18 high-end condominium units.

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The LEED rating system for environmentally sustainable construction, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, emerged as the industry standard for green development. New construction and major renovations, existing buildings, commercial interiors, and core and shell projects can register for certification. Projects are given points based on six categories: Sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design process. Buildings receive certification by scoring above a certain point threshold. If construction goes above and beyond the minimum prerequisites, the project can attain silver, gold or platinum levels of certification.

“There’s no doubt we’ll be certified,” said Jerry Lee of Lee Real Estate Development at the time. “We’re looking for silver.”

Lee was one of the project’s six partners, along with Bill Reynolds, Larry Soll, John Wittemeyer, Woody Eaton and Nancy Maron.

The building featured a wide variety of green features including sustainable materials, a light-colored roof to help counteract the urban heat island, a photovoltaic solar system, water-efficient fixtures, a comprehensive recycling program since groundbreaking, and the site’s pedestrian-friendly location itself.

Developers also earned a point for putting together a detailed manual for tenants explaining the building’s sustainable features and services.

Beyond being the city’s first LEED-certified private building, 1155 Canyon was Boulder’s first LEED-certified core-and-shell project.

Better marketability was the rule with 1155 Canyon: All 18 of the building’s condominiums were sold by fall 2006, and the office space was under contract in its entirety soon after. Each condominium unit averages 2,100 square feet and sold for an average of $800 per square foot, Lee said.