On October 12, the City of Northglenn will hold a grand opening event for the new Northglenn City Hall — the first municipal building to achieve CORE Green Building certification in Colorado, demonstrating Northglenn’s commitment as a leader in regenerative design practices & sustainable operations.
Designed by Anderson Mason Dale Architects, the new 32,600-square-foot facility will house the same divisions and departments as the current facility. This includes Council Chambers, City Manager, City Clerk’s Office, Finance, Planning, Building, Economic Development, and Communications.
Here are some fun facts about the new public amenity:
- First CORE Certification: The building is set to become the first CORE-certified municipal building in the state and one of the first in the country.
- CORE Certification: Overseen by the International Living Future Institute, CORE is a green building rating system similar in ambition to LEED Platinum
but emphasizes actual building performance over a checklist approach. - Sustainable Materials: 20% of materials were sourced within 310 miles. The farthest-traveled material is the All-Wood Mass Timber Structure from Quebec, saving 50% in embodied carbon.
- Material Transparency: Many products have “Declare labels” showing they are free from harmful chemicals.
- Embodied Carbon Savings: Equivalent to the carbon sequestered by 621 acres of forest for a year, or about 30 Northglenn Civic Center Campuses.
- Solar Power: The building features 476 solar panels generating 195 kW annually.
- Net-Zero Energy: Runs entirely on electricity with no natural gas, and the solar panels are expected to produce as much or more energy than the building consumes annually.
- High Efficiency: The exterior is highly efficient with double-paned low-e-coated glass and an R-Value of R-20.
- Sustainable Materials: Exterior uses Zinc and Thermally Modified Wood, which are natural, durable, and processed without harmful chemicals.
- Zero Fertilizers/Pesticides: Landscaping uses no petrochemical fertilizers or pesticides.
- EV Charging: 9 EV charging stations installed with 8 additional future-ready spots.
- Non-Potable Water: Irrigation is done with 100% non-potable water collected from rain and snow, a novel approach in Colorado.
- Water-Efficient Landscaping: Native and xeric plants reduce water use by over 70% compared to traditional landscapes.
- Nature Integration: The design incorporates natural elements to improve wellbeing, reflecting research on the health benefits of exposure to nature.
- Funding: The $33.7M for City Hall was in hand before construction. The funding was generated by the ½% sales tax and the 4% Special Marijuana Tax, both of which can only be used for capital projects.
- City Services: Public services in this building include utility billing, permits, passports and meetings. Departments housed in City Hall include City Council, City Manager, City Clerk, Finance, Planning, Building, Economic Development, Human Resources, Parks/Rec/Culture Administration and Communications (which
includes events and engagement).
All are invited to a grand opening event, noon-4 p.m. The celebration includes tours of city hall, music, food trucks, lawn games, face painting, booths, giveaways and a visit from Miles the Broncos mascot from noon – 2 p.m. Sign up for a tour in advance here: https://northglenn.ticketspice.com/city-hall-opening-open-house
