Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) has designated Kirksey a LEED® Proven Provider™ for the LEED v2009 New Construction and Core and Shell rating systems. This designation, the first for a Houston-based architecture firm, was developed to streamline the LEED project review process for experienced organizations that demonstrate consistent excellence in administering LEED projects.
“Quality is at the core of the LEED certification process, and Kirksey has exhibited expertise in helping to bring healthy, high-performing buildings to the market,” said Doug Gatlin, vice president of program delivery, USGBC and GBCI.
LEED Proven Provider is designed to encourage and reward high-quality LEED project submissions to minimize the need for additional work during the project review process.
Organizations that demonstrate and maintain high-quality project submissions through LEED Proven Provider receive significant benefits, such as greater access to a LEED reviewer and recognition from USGBC for their sustained track record of high-quality project submissions.
Kirksey EcoServices, an in-house team of building performance analysts who are focused on green building solutions, was founded in 2002 with the purpose of designing creative spaces that are inspiring, healthy, efficient, less expensive to maintain, and ultimately serve as good stewards to our environment with a commitment to sustainability. With 89 LEED certified projects spanning 6 LEED rating systems in their portfolio, Kirksey has consulted on more than 29 million square feet of LEED certified projects. Kirksey has designed several “firsts” in the state of Texas, as well as the surrounding Houston area:
- 1st in Texas
- LEED Existing Building Certified
- LEED Existing Building Gold
- 1st in Houston
- LEED Certified Building
- LEED Core & Shell
- LEED Commercial Interior
- 1st in Gulf Coast Region:
- LEED Existing Building Platinum
Related Stories
Steel Construction | May 19, 2023
New manufacturing processes can make steel construction a greener option and add U.S. jobs
“Green steel” that is manufactured using hydrogen generated with renewable energy makes its use as a building material more feasible for environmentally conscious designers and clients. Sustainable manufacturing processes, which are economically viable in the U.S., could also revive steelmaking in the country as the metal becomes more attractive for green building.
Office Buildings | May 15, 2023
Sixteen-story office tower will use 40% less energy than an average NYC office building
This month marks the completion of a new 16-story office tower that is being promoted as New York City’s most sustainable office structure. That boast is backed by an innovative HVAC system that features geothermal wells, dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS) units, radiant heating and cooling, and a sophisticated control system to ensure that the elements work optimally together.
Headquarters | May 9, 2023
New Wells Fargo development in Texas will be bank’s first net-positive campus
A new Wells Fargo development in the Dallas metroplex will be the national bank’s first net-positive campus, expected to generate more energy than it uses. The 850,000-sf project on 22 acres will generate power from solar panels and provide electric vehicle charging stations.
Senior Living Design | May 8, 2023
Seattle senior living community aims to be world’s first to achieve Living Building Challenge designation
Aegis Living Lake Union in Seattle is the world’s first assisted living community designed to meet the rigorous Living Building Challenge certification. Completed in 2022, the Ankrom Moisan-designed, 70,000 sf-building is fully electrified. All commercial dryers, domestic hot water, and kitchen equipment are powered by electricity in lieu of gas, which reduces the facility’s carbon footprint.
Mass Timber | May 1, 2023
SOM designs mass timber climate solutions center on Governors Island, anchored by Stony Brook University
Governors Island in New York Harbor will be home to a new climate-solutions center called The New York Climate Exchange. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), The Exchange will develop and deploy solutions to the global climate crisis while also acting as a regional hub for the green economy. New York’s Stony Brook University will serve as the center’s anchor institution.
Concrete Technology | Apr 24, 2023
A housing complex outside Paris is touted as the world’s first fully recycled concrete building
Outside Paris, Holcim, a Swiss-based provider of innovative and sustainable building solutions, and Seqens, a social housing provider in France, are partnering to build Recygénie—a 220-unit housing complex, including 70 social housing units. Holcim is calling the project the world’s first fully recycled concrete building.
Green | Apr 21, 2023
Boston to adopt stringent climate-friendly building code
Boston will soon adopt a new stringent green state building code that aims to significantly reduce carbon emissions in new construction and major renovations.
Green | Apr 21, 2023
Top 10 green building projects for 2023
The Harvard University Science and Engineering Complex in Boston and the Westwood Hills Nature Center in St. Louis are among the AIA COTE Top Ten Awards honorees for 2023.
Green | Apr 18, 2023
USGBC and IWBI unveil streamlined certification pathway for LEED and WELL green building programs
The U.S. Green Building Council, Green Business Certification Inc., and the International WELL Building Institute released a streamlined process for projects pursuing certifications for the LEED green building rating system and the WELL Building Standard. The new protocol simplifies documentation for projects that are pursuing both certifications at the same time or that have already earned one certification and are looking to add the other.
K-12 Schools | Apr 18, 2023
ASHRAE offers indoor air quality guide for schools
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has released a guide for educators, administrators, and school districts on indoor air quality. The guide can be used as a tool to discuss options to improve indoor air quality based on existing HVAC equipment, regional objectives, and available funding.
