AEC and the USGBC

Architectural Energy Corporation has been an active member of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) since 1993. Architectural Energy Corporation has collaborated in the development or worked with every LEED® rating system developed by the USGBC, including LEED-NC, LEED-EB, LEED-CS, LEED-CI, LEED-ND, and LEED-H and all the various Application Guides. As a sustainable design consultant, AEC has used the LEED® rating scheme as a framework for energy and environmental design on hundreds of projects of all building types. AEC's formal participation in the LEED® rating system started with the US Environmental Protection Agency New England Regional Laboratory project in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, which was awarded a Gold rating in the LEED® 1.0 Pilot Program. This experience provided a thorough understanding of the effort and innovation required for participation in the LEED® pilot programs.

With extensive experience on LEED-registered and LEED-awarded projects, AEC has conducted numerous LEED® project-specific presentations for professional engineers, architects, and general contractors, as well as a variety of organizations including governmental organizations, businesses, schools, school districts, healthcare organizations and other interested communities. As the demand for LEED® accredited project representatives has grown in the industry, AEC has had the opportunity to provide LEED® tutoring and informal LEED® study sessions at the request of local professionals interested in passing the LEED® accreditation exam.

Local USGBC Chapter

In addition to national level participation, several AEC employees actively participate in the local USGBC Colorado Chapter. Members of AEC's Sustainable Design Assistance Team attend local USGBC Chapter meetings and events and several have been speakers at the USGBC Colorado Chapter monthly evening program. Presentation topics included a discussion of the value of LEED®, incorporating LEED® into the design late in the project, impacts on project finance and the construction process, implementation of waste management and other initiatives during construction, energy modeling, commissioning, and the LEED® documentation process.

Finally, AEC has presented and advised numerous municipalities, including the Town of Vail, the Town of Breckenridge, and the City of Boulder, on adopting the LEED® rating system in the town council's required programs.