United States Green Building Council Designates Gold LEED® Certification for Platte River’s New Headquarters Building

Platte River Power Authority (Platte River) announced recently that its newly constructed headquarters building in southeast Fort Collins, Colorado, has been awarded LEED Gold under the United States Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) program. This prestigious designation for Platte River’s headquarters building marks the first development in the City of Fort Collins to achieve LEED Gold in USGBC’s version 4 category for building design and construction, new construction.

“This designation by the USGBC reflects our board of directors’ vision to design and build a headquarters campus that aligns with the environmental values of our organization and our owner communities,” shared Jason Frisbie, general manager and chief executive officer (CEO) for Platte River. “The engineering, design, and construction of the building was conceptualized using the same lens that we apply to our world-class generation and transmission facilities, effectively accommodating our expanding workforce and enhanced security and infrastructure needs while serving as an example of environmental excellence in our community.”

The highly efficient and sustainable development for Platte River was completed in 2020 and is located on the northwest corner of Horsetooth and Timberline roads. The facility features 53,652 square feet of technology, office, and dynamic meeting space. Platte River’s headquarters also includes a rooftop solar array, an onsite pond for obtaining and rejecting heat through a geo-exchange mechanical system, and participates in the City of Fort Collin’s green energy program to help ensure 100% noncarbon energy use on a year-round basis.

“LEED was created to revolutionize buildings and our communities to help make the world a better place by providing access to healthy, green, high-performing buildings,” said Peter Templeton, president, and CEO of USGBC. “Platte River Power Authority’s new LEED Gold headquarters demonstrates tremendous green building leadership. This development is a great example of how the innovative work of project teams can create local solutions that contribute to making a global difference at the community level.”

Platte River’s headquarters was designed to reduce energy use by approximately 50% and indoor water use by 30% and diverted 91% of waste during construction. Additionally, the design and construction of the facility were guided by Colorado State University Institute for the Built Environment and the City of Fort Collins Integrated Design Assistance Program for green building designs.

Other key sustainable design features of Platte River’s headquarters:

• The headquarters’ development is in an area that encourages multimodal transportation options with onsite electric vehicle charging in the visitor’s parking lot, access to the City of Fort Collins public transportation, and adjacent to the City of Fort Collins Power Trail.
• The development encourages health and wellness by creating an active design, including an on-site fitness facility, interior connectivity across departments lined with natural lighting, high-quality views of the Rocky Mountains with large, efficient windows in working spaces, ample bike parking and locker rooms, and open light-filled stairs between levels.
• The exterior of the building is lined with native and drought-tolerant landscaping to minimize water and irrigation needs, backed by stormwater drainage infrastructure and a decorative pond, and includes outdoor patios and seating areas.

Platte River’s headquarters also received the Urban Design Award for Architecture from the City of Fort Collins in September 2022.