Wisconsin's Aldo Leopold Legacy Center near Baraboo was one of the projects and people the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently recognized as being the country's most influential green building leaders of 2007.
The USGBC leadership awards recognize companies and individuals who exemplify vision, leadership and commitment to the evolution of green building design and construction.
The 2007 Leadership Awards recognize achievements in six categories, including education, community, LEED, organizational excellence, research, and advocacy.
The Aldo Leopold Legacy Center, new headquarters for the Aldo Leopold Foundation, was honored in the "education" category. A LEED Platinum building, it earned the highest score of any building ever certified under the LEED system, 61 of 69 possible points. Award honorees include The Kubala Washatko Architects, Inc., Cedarburg, Wis.; The Boldt Company, Appleton, Wis.; Tom Boldt; and Theresa Lehman. The building is carbon-neutral, zero net energy in design and will produce over 110 percent of its annual energy needs. A major building component includes site-harvested wood originally planted during land restoration by the Leopold family in the 1930s and 1940s.
In the Community category, LEED faculty member Gail Linsey from Design Harmony received the award for her integral role in the development of the design charrettes for the LEED rating system as well as her innovative work on the North Carolina Triangle J High Performance Guidelines and the Green Building Advisor program.
In the LEED category, Rob Harris, chief of the Engineering Division of the Directorate of Public Works, Ft. Bragg, N.C., received the award for his aggressive program to adopt LEED-NC and LEED-EB in the military facilities of Fort Bragg.
In the Organization Excellence category, David Eisenberg and the Development Center for Appropriate Technology received the award in acknowledgment of DCAT's focus on building sustainability into the codes over the past dozen years.
In the Research category, Kieran-Timberlake Associates was honored for creativity in seamlessly integrating research into design.
In the Advocacy category, Ashok Gupta, director, Air & Energy Program, Natural Resources Defense Council, received the award in recognition of his work on the New York State Green Building Tax Credit and the carbon neutral redevelopment of the World Trade Center site.
