The Columbia city hall has received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold certification.
By Daina Schnese (Columbia, Mo.)
The U.S. Green Building Council issues certification to building owners or operators who comply with environmental designs or framework in buildings. Columbia city hall received the certification after completing sustainable renovations in January of this year.
Columbia sustainability manager Barbara Buffaloe says the application process was not easy. However, the end result made it worthwhile.
“Receiving LEED gold is awesome, I mean it’s a great accomplishment for a city to do because, you know, obviously we have to work within a tight budget, we have to be smart about how we spend our money. We are designing smart and we are really showing how others can do the same," Buffaloe said.
To recieve the award, Columbia’s city hall had to verify that the building was as high performing as they claimed during the application process. City Hall also had to make sure the heating and cooling systems were efficient and that they used materials from local manufacturers.