On Earth Day Saturday it’s worth noting that Denver’s efforts towards building green workspaces have not gone unnoticed.

Download PDF

Researchers at CoworkingCafe, a platform for finding and booking coworking spaces, analyzed the U.S. cities with the most LEED-certified buildings with coworking spaces and reports that Denver ranks 7th in the nation.

• Four of those buildings reached the LEED Silver level and another six have Gold status.

• The 11 LEED certified buildings with coworking spaces account for 17% of the total coworking inventory in Denver.

• Greenwood Village missed the top 10, but still made it into CoworkingCafe’s analysis with a total of three LEED certified buildings which include coworking spaces. One has Silver level and two are under the Gold status.

• At a state level, Colorado ranks 7th with 15 green commercial or mixed-used buildings which include flex workspaces.

“Paying attention to environmental issues and sustainability is becoming increasingly crucial across all industries,” said Anca Pavel, Marketing Communications Specialist at CoworkingCafe.

“In the commercial real estate sector, that means adapting architecture, design and amenities in a way that is meant to decrease carbon footprint and pave the way toward a healthier environment,” she said.

“Denver’s green ordinance energy program was one of the actions to improve sustainability and eco-friendliness,” said Pavel.

The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™ is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings, according to the University of Colorado Boulder.

LEED was created to:

• Define “green building” by establishing a common standard of measurement
• Promote integrated, whole-building design practices
• Recognize environmental leadership in the building industry
• Stimulate green competition
• Raise consumer awareness of green building benefits
• Transform the building market

LEED provides a complete framework for assessing building performance and meeting sustainability goals.

Based on well-founded scientific standards, LEED emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality, according to CU research material.

CoworkingCafe’s analysis determined the states and cities across the U.S. that have the most LEED certified buildings to also include coworking spaces.

These recognitions attest to building owners’ efforts to increase water, energy and waste efficiency, as well as to contribute to an overall healthier environment, according to CoworkingCafe.

“In the U.S., 35% of the total electricity consumed is attributed to commercial real estate buildings, as well as 16% of all the carbon dioxide emissions, according to Coworking Café’s website. “Meanwhile, rising concerns around sustainability have driven large shares of commercial buildings to change and adapt their architecture, design, and amenities to decrease their carbon footprint and pave the way toward a healthier environment.”

The full report is at CoworkingCafe’s website.