DENVER, Colo. – July 19, 2007 – Horizon City Center, a 500-acre development located at the southwest corner of Interstate 70 and E-470 in Aurora, is one the first developments in Colorado selected to take part in a nationwide effort to set sustainable building and planning standards for residential developments.
Horizon City Center is among a select group of sustainable developments nationwide chosen and announced by the U.S. Green Building Council to participate in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development (LEED ND) Pilot Program.
Lend Lease is developing Horizon City Center, a $2 billion project that will combine commercial, retail and residential uses in a sustainable format. Lend Lease plans to break ground on the project in early 2008.
“Sustainability is in our DNA,” Lend Lease Project Director Simon Walker said. “Gaining the LEED ND designation affirms that our plan for Horizon City Center is a step above and beyond other projects. It also means Lend Lease will have a hand in shaping the nation’s leading sustainable neighborhood standard.”
Horizon City Center is situated at a key location in the region. Aurora city leaders are following the project closely. “We’re thrilled the Horizon City Center is setting the bar for building green,” Aurora Mayor Ed Tauer said. “Hats off to Lend Lease for doing it right.”
LEED is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. LEED provides building owners and operators with the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their building's performance. LEED standards can be applied to commercial buildings, homes, schools, retail stores and more.
LEED ND, however, is a new proposed standard that goes beyond individual buildings and looks at developments as a whole. The proposed LEED ND is a rating system that integrates principles of smart growth, urbanism and green building into the first national standard for neighborhood design. LEED ND certification provides independent, third-party verification that a development's location and design meet accepted high standards for environmentally responsible, sustainable development.
“Our neighborhoods are integral to America’s landscape,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “LEED for Neighborhood Development encourages a healthier lifestyle by recognizing that services, workplaces and schools located within walking distance, and the existence of attractive and safe pedestrian paths, are essential elements of a healthy community.”
Feedback gathered by developers included in the pilot program, such as Lend Lease, will be incorporated into final LEED ND guidelines, tentatively to be released in 2008.
“We are finalizing our plans for Horizon City, but we aim to deliver a project that breaks new ground on the sustainability front,” Walker said. “That means a lot more than just using green building techniques. Horizon City will be a community where people can live, work, learn, play, shop and generally thrive.”
Lend Lease, a subsidiary of the Australian Lend Lease Corp., recently moved into a new office in downtown Denver that was renovated to meet LEED standards. The office utilizes recycled materials, super efficient lights, water-conserving fixtures and more. The office highlights technologies that Lend Lease plans to incorporate in its Horizon City and other projects.
In December 2006, Lend Lease was selected by the Colorado State Land Board for the development of the Lowry Range, and a development agreement was recently signed between the parties for that 3,800-acre community.
About Lend Lease
Lend Lease Americas is a subsidiary of Lend Lease Corporation, a leading global property specialist that has developed, constructed and managed market-leading real estate projects around the world for more than 50 years. Lend Lease is one of the leading fully integrated property solutions providers in the world. Our understanding of property enables us to maximize the best property outcomes through the full range of economic and market cycles. Sustainability has been an integral part of our culture for more than 50 years. Lend Lease is included in all three globally recognized sustainability reputation indices: 2008 Dow Jones Sustainability Index, 2008 Goldman Sachs JBWere Climate Leadership Index and 2009 Global 100.
In the United States, Lend Lease is a market leader in public-private partnerships through its Actus Lend Lease business, which manages and operates in excess of 40,000 military homes and has a significant investment in King of Prussia, one of the nation’s premium retail malls.
About the U.S. Green Building Council
The U.S. Green Building Council is the nation's leading nonprofit organization composed of corporations, builders, universities, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations working together to transform the way buildings are designed, built and operated. Green buildings are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. Since its founding in 1993, the Council has grown to more than 9,500 member companies and organizations, a 90-person professional staff, a broad portfolio of LEED® green building products and services, the industry's popular Greenbuild International Conference and Expo (www.greenbuildexpo.org) and a network of more than 70 local chapters, affiliates and organizing groups.
About LEED
The LEED® Green Building Rating System is a voluntary third-party rating system where credits are earned for satisfying specified green building criteria. Projects are evaluated within six environmental categories: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality. Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels of green building certification are awarded based on the total credits earned. The LEED standard has been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and local governments, and interested private companies as the industry standard of measurement for green building.