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.
The Owned Real Property Sustainable Requirements Policy 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 to 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
The High Performance Certification Program (HPCP) requirements are now within the new Owned Real Property Sustainable Requirements documents. HPCP compliance is required for all general funded or academic designated projects greater than 5,000 square feet that include an HVAC system. The Colorado Department of Education, Building Excellent Schools Today grant program, and the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, Energy/Mineral Impact Assistance Fund program provide state funds to a building that may need to meet the HPCP policy. Refer to their website for additional information.
The OSA High Performance Certification Program (HPCP) criteria is based on state statute and is updated as necessary. The HPCP criteria apply to the design and construction of a new building or the substantial renovation of an existing building. The HPCP requirements apply 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.
Colorado HPCP Registration Form (fillable pdf)
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).