KTGY releases free resource to reduce carbon footprint in multifamily developments

Architecture firm KTGY has released Denver Green Code Book, a free resource for developers and building industry professionals to reduce the carbon footprint of multifamily developments.

The book was developed by KTGY with input from Jordan & Skala Engineers, Norris Design, Energetics, and the City of Denver. The resource is an aid to navigating Denver Green Code measures—voluntary codes that promote sustainability through energy efficiency, resource conservation, sustainable materials, indoor environmental quality, water safety, site development, land use, and overall building performance.

“When clients incorporate these measures in the upfront planning phase, it not only conserves costs and drives operational efficiencies, but also helps foster community engagement and education around sustainable design practices,” says Sarah Hunter, director, design at KTGY.

The building and construction industry is responsible for 49% of all energy consumption and 47% of greenhouse gas emissions, according to a KTGY news release.

New York City has two very large buildings dedicated to answering the 911 calls of its five boroughs. With more than 11 million emergency calls annually, it makes perfect sense. The second of these buildings, the Public Safety Answering Center II (PSAC II) is located on a nine-acre parcel of land in the Bronx. It’s an imposing 450,000 square-foot structure—a 240-foot-wide by 240-foot-tall cube. The gleaming aluminum cube risesthe equivalent of 24 stories from behind a grassy berm, projecting the unlikely impression that it might actually be floating. Like most visually striking structures, the building has drawn as much scorn as it has admiration.