Anchorage's LEED Buildings

Anchorage Assembly votes 8-0 to "take the LEED"

In August 2008, the Anchorage Assembly voted unanimously in favor of the Sustainable Building Ordinance. A LEED Silver standard for municipal buildings and retrofits, including school district buildings, and incentives for the private sector, is a win for the city, the taxpayers, and the environment.

The Sustainable Building Ordinance will require all new municipal buildings, including those in the Anchorage School District, and renovations 5000 square feet and larger, to meet a LEED Silver standard. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and is the industry standard criteria for energy-efficient and green building developed by the United States Green Building Council. The new ordinance also provides incentives for private development to meet LEED standards, through permit fee reimbursement.

Under the original wording of the ordinance, the Anchorage School District was not required to apply for LEED certification, however, ACE testified in favor of inclusion. Now the Assembly and the Administration are working with school district representatives to make the ordinance greener for schools, but a clause stating that LEED certification will not be required if it is not economically feasible to meet any of the LEED pre-requisites was added to the ordinance. This clause is unlikely to cause too much trouble as LEED offers a menu of ways  standards can be met. ACE believes if they can design for a LEED building in Barrow then we can do it here in Anchorage.

Construction costs have skyrocketed along with the increased cost of fuel. Buildings use almost 40% of energy, account for nearly 40% of all carbon emissions, and 70% of electricity usage. You can read more here. That, taken with the unique challenges of living in Alaska, means that we need to act aggressively to make sure all our new buildings and retrofits have a lower life cycle cost than the average building. LEED buildings do not have to cost more than conventional construction and they are long term investments in energy savings.

Green schools create additional benefits for our community's children. Several studies comparing LEED school buildings to "old school" school buildings found that the better indoor air and light quality created 20% faster progression in math, 26% faster progression in reading, 38.5% reduction in asthma, fewer sick days, and even fewer cavities. In the dark Alaskan winters, the LEED-silver standards should show a more dramatic benefit in our children's health and learning.

ACE members show their support for LEED building standards by sending a thanks to the Assembly, the Administration, and to the dedicated team of builders and architects who worked for two years to get this ordinance off the ground.