March 17, 2003—Marion County Courthouse Square, near Portland, OR, has earned a Bronze rating from the US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. The Courthouse Square project is jointly owned by Marion County and Salem Area Transit.
The original site was classified under EPA guidelines as a brownfield. Marion County purchased the property with the commitment to clean up the site, reduce hazardous materials in the soil and groundwater, and improve the overall quality of the downtown area.
Over 15,300 tons of material was salvaged and recycled during the demolition process and another 22,560 tons during the construction of the facility. Within the structure the new green space offers retail stores, county and government transit offices, the county courthouse, and mass transportation facilities. Occupants of the facility will now benefit from improved indoor air quality and more natural daylight. The complex was designed to use 20 percent less energy each year compared to one built to the Oregon Energy Code.
LEED is a feature-oriented rating system where credits are earned for satisfying specified green building criteria. Five major environmental categories are reviewed, including: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. LEED is the industry benchmark for green building and to date has certified over 20 projects across the United States and Canada.
