Denver's real estate community recently learned about the real costs and savings associated with sustainable building and design, specifically the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, during the first in a series of learning sessions held by DPR Construction, Inc., a forward-thinking national general contractor and construction manager.

The three-hour session provided attendees from the architectural, engineering, owner and developer community the opportunity to review green material building samples and pricing, as well as examples from DPR's LEED registered and sustainable projects. DPR also demonstrated how its new proprietary LEED" preconstruction tool can help owners and architects discern cost and benefit relationships in green building.

"The upfront planning and detailed documentation required for a successful LEED project fall in line with the collaborative approach that DPR takes on a majority of projects, especially those that are more technically challenging such as hospitals and cleanrooms," said Michael Konetzke of DPR and one of the company's 18 LEED"-accredited professionals. "At DPR, we continuously look for opportunities to add greater value to our projects and be even better builders, and green construction makes perfect sense."

In addition to Konetzke, presenters included other DPR LEED-accredited professionals, including Courtney Cowser from Denver, Ted van der Linden from Redwood City, Calif. and Paul Shahriari from Atlanta. DPR's van der Linden is also currently a board member to the United States Green Building Council and active leader in DPR's goal to complete more sustainable projects.

Shahriari, who most recently served as the president of the green consulting firm, Built Green, has been working closely with DPR to further develop its LEED preconstruction tool and green building services, including owner/architect training, Charrette facilitation, environmental value analysis, life-cycle cost analysis and LEED project management.

Konetzke and Cowser are working with developers Continuum Partners on the Lakewood Belmar project, soon to join one of a handful of LEED-certified buildings in Denver. "It's wonderful to work with a conscientious owner willing to examine the benefits of building green," Cowser said. At this time, the Belmar 2M3 project team is targeting a Silver LEED 2.1 certification, which requires between 33 and 38 points out of a total possible 69 points.

On a national scale, DPR has completed or is currently working on several green/sustainable projects, including its own LEED-registered (Silver targeted) 52,300-sq.-ft. office building in Sacramento. Other notable projects include Lewis and Clark College's Residence Halls in Portland and The Evergreen State College's Seminar II Building in Olympia, Wash., and Aspect Communications Corporate Headquarters in San Jose, Calif.

A forward-thinking commercial general contractor and construction manager, DPR has been "building great things" since it was founded in 1990, including technically demanding and environmentally friendly projects in such high-growth industries as healthcare, biotechnology/pharmaceutical, corporate/speculative office, mission critical (data/telecom), digital media/broadcasting, entertainment, and warehouse and distribution industries. DPR Denver is one of 15 regional offices contributing to $1.1 billion in annual revenue in local and national markets.