U.S. Green Building Council
Henry C. Turner Prize
October 24, 2005
The National Building Museum presented the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) with the fourth Henry C. Turner Prize for Innovation in Construction Technology for its promotion of sustainable design and building practices and, specifically, the development of the LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System.
“The USGBC has been a primary catalyst in the sustainable design movement, helping ‘green’ building become a significant trend in design and construction,” said Chase Rynd, executive director of the Museum. “As a steadfast advocate of ‘green’ design, the USGBC stimulates new building technologies and practices. As such, they are a worthy recipient for the Turner Prize.”
“The USGBC is honored to have been chosen as the recipient of the prestigious Turner Prize,” said Rick Fedrizzi, USGBC president, CEO, and founding chair. “Five years ago, when USGBC staff and volunteers created LEED, we never could have imagined the market transformation that would follow. USGBC and LEED bring together the entire building industry in an effort to lead a national consensus on green building.”
On Monday, October 24, 2005, the Museum hosted an event to honor the USGBC. Following a 6:00 pm reception (sponsored by Turner Construction Company), Richard Fedrizzi, president, CEO, and founding chairman of the USGBC, formally accepted the Prize during a ceremony and public program. The evening’s public program highlighted the importance of the USGBC’s contributions to green design and construction through a case study of the Genzyme Center in Cambridge, MA. This headquarters of a global biotechnology firm, completed in late 2003, is the largest structure in the world to receive the LEED platinum level rating for new construction—the highest possible rating. Designed by Behnisch, Behnisch and Partner in Stuttgart, Germany, the 350,000-square-foot, 12-story structure incorporates technological innovations that offer a model for other green high-rise buildings in America.
The USGBC is a private, nonprofit organization composed of leaders from across the building industries who work to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, and healthy places to live and work. The organization, founded in 1993, has worked toward this cause by establishing a uniform definition for “green” design through its LEED Green Building Rating System. USGBC advances innovation in building science, design, technology and operations by encouraging the use of new technologies and construction practices by designers, builders and owners. USGBC also contributes to the expansion of sustainable building knowledge by maintaining resources such as online tools and research publications.
USGBC was selected for the Henry C. Turner Prize in particular for the development and administration of the LEED Green Building Rating System. Launched in 2000, LEED is a performance-based standard that is designed to evaluate the impact of buildings on their surroundings. LEED emphasizes new strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. LEED was initially created to establish a common measurement to define “green building;” to promote integrated, whole-building design practices; and to raise awareness of green building benefits. The program also aims to acknowledge environmental leadership in the building industry and, thus, provide further incentives for green building. The LEED program’s impact is rapidly expanding. Since LEED’s inception, 2,080 new construction projects have registered with the intent to seek LEED certification, and approximately 240 have earned one of the four levels of LEED certification. Government agencies are increasingly instituting requirements and incentives for LEED certification of public projects. The USGBC has also developed LEED certification standards for existing buildings and commercial interiors and is developing standards for residences and neighborhood developments.
“Since its inception in 1993, the USGBC has made a tremendous contribution through its various activities, including education and policy making, and has greatly influenced the process of construction through its development of the LEED certification program,” said Thomas C. Leppert, chairman and chief executive officer of The Turner Corporation. “As a leader in the sustainable construction industry and one of the corporate sponsors of LEED, Turner believes the USGBC is very deserving of this honor as the fourth recipient of the Henry C. Turner Prize.”
The jury for the fourth Henry C. Turner Prize was composed of five members—Chris T. Hendrickson, chairman of the department of civil and environmental engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA; J. Robert Hillier, FAIA, founding partner of The Hillier Group, in Princeton, NJ; Clyde B. Tatum, professor and chair, department of civil and environmental engineering, and director of the construction institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA; Thomas R. Turner, vice president, national sales, Turner Construction Company, New York, NY.; and Norbert W. Young, Jr., FAIA, president, McGraw-Hill Construction, New NY and member of the National Building Museum’s Board of Trustees.
The Henry C. Turner Prize is supported by an endowment from Turner Construction Company.
