The design and construction of either a new facility, or the substantial renovation of an existing facility, or any improvement on state owned property shall start with meeting the requirements of the OSA Building Code Compliance Policy and the new State Building Development Requirements Policy.
This policy (link coming soon) lists all the appropriate statutory requirements and applicable executive orders. The policy highlights the state departments that have either statutory authority or responsibilities related to the policy. The policy starts with infrastructure requirements, proceeds to new buildings or the substantial renovations of existing buildings, includes requirements for existing buildings, and ends with building life cycle cost analysis requirements. Some of the language is pertinent only to new construction, while most applies every aspect of a building from new construction to final demolition.
Infrastructure Details
Infrastructure includes all the necessary underground utility connections, roads, parking lots, utility meters, exterior lighting, landscaping, turf, irrigation, and any other non-building structures and hardscaping. Irrigation and turf both have statutory requirements and executive order goals as indicated in the policy. The Office of Sustainability has additional information relating to landscaping. All outdoor lighting shall be full cutoff luminaires and strive to meet the dark sky initiative.
New Construction & Major Renovation Details
All general funded or academic designated projects greater than 5,000 square feet that don’t meet the exemptions listed in the policy shall meet the HPCP requirements of the policy. The Colorado Department of Education, Building Excellent Schools Today grant program, and the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, Energy/Mineral Impact Assistance Fund programs provide state funds to their respective clients and because of these state funds, may need to meet the HPCP requirements. Refer to their web site for additional information.
The OSA policy, High Performance Certification Program (HPCP), is based on state statute and is updated as necessary. The High Performance Certification Program (HPCP) policy applies to the design and construction of a new building or the substantial renovation of an existing building. The policy applies to state owned, general funded, or academic buildings and all of their support facilities. It also applies to non-state buildings with moneys guaranteed, or insured, by the state where such moneys constitute at least 25% of the project cost. The policy recognizes the US Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) guideline; the Green Building Initiative (GBI); Green Globes guideline; and for K-12 schools, the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (US-version of CHPS) guideline. Other building sustainable guidelines requiring third-party verification may be used with permission from OSA.
OSA HPCP State Owned Buildings Registration-Checklist Forms (xlsx)
OSA HPCP Dept. of Local Affairs Grant Projects Registration-Checklist Forms (xlsx)
OSA HPCP CDE K-12 Registration-Checklist Forms (xlsx)
OSA HPCP Summary and Sustainable Priorities (pdf)
OSA HPCP Frequently Asked Questions (pdf)
Existing Building Details
It has been proven that over the life of a building, the cost of maintaining, repairing, and operating a building exceeds the cost of construction. A critical requirement in the maintenance and repair of a building is a detailed knowledge of existing conditions. Building owners should perform on an appropriate annual cycle, facility condition assessments.
There is also a statutory requirement to benchmark utility usage for buildings greater than 50,000 square feet through the Building Performance Colorado (CEO website) program.
An alternative funding source for building improvements is through an Energy Performance Contract.
Building Life Cycle Cost Details
State statute, CRS 24-30-1304 and 1305, requires that all state agencies and state institutions of higher education to analyze the life-cycle cost (LLC) of all real property constructed or renovated, over its economic life, in addition to the initial construction or renovation cost (Life Cycle Cost Policy).