Innosphere Achieves LEED Platinum

 

We wish our hearty congratulations to the designers and builders of the Rocky Mountain Innosphere building at 320 E. Vine Drive in  Fort Collins, CO.  The building recently achieved a LEED rating of Platinum. This is no small feat!

The rating system was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council to urge buildings to be designed and built for lower-impact environmentally and to be energy efficient.  Started in 1998, the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) program guides building planners through areas of sustainable sites, water efficiency, CO2 emissions, energy and atmosphere, indoor environmental quality, and design process.  Their goal is to make new and remodeled buildings have lower carbon footprints through the building process and for the life of the building.  Only about 3% of LEED buildings meet the requirements for the Platinum level of distinction.

Innosphere joins 10 other buildings throughout the state of Colorado and 2 in Fort Collins as Platinum level certification.  The Council Tree Library (2733 Council Tree Avenue, Suite 200, 80525) and Seven Generations Office Park (3221 Eastbrook Drive, 80525) were certified in 2009 and 2008, respectively.  325 buildings in Colorado have completed and been granted some level of LEED certification with 23 of those in Fort Collins.

Among the features that led Innosphere to this rating are its array of solar panels on the carport and roof, reflector panels on south and west windows, non-toxic floor and wall materials and decorations, sensor-responsive lighting and HVAC, natural lighting considerations, and fluorescent lighting.  Building tenants are encouraged to be mindful of their practices with energy use and recycling.  In fact, there aren’t enough car parking spaces for all tenants, so carpooling, public transportation use and bicycle commuting are encouraged. In fact, there’s a fully enclosed, locked bike pavilion for people to use (so no plastic bags on the seats in case it rains!)

Ridekick International is proud to be a part of the Rocky Mountain Innosphere.  We applaud the organization’s commitment to sustainability and appreciate all that it does to support clean tech start-up companies.