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The Missoula building industry took a hit when the housing market crashed. But, the popularity of "green" building is soaring in the Garden City. Several Montana Buildings fall under a "green" certification called LEED. Among them are the new First Interstate Bank going up on Higgins and Front Street in Missoula and the new Missoula Federal Credit Union on Russell. The new Garlington Building on Broadway will also be LEED certified. The Bozeman Public Library also qualifies. We took a closer look at what that distinction means. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy Environmental Design. It's the building industry's standard for measuring the "greeness" of a project. CTA principle architect Kent Bray says, "it was a way for us to kind of measure how well we do in building and designing sustainable buildings." A project starts earning the label in the early design stages. It has to meet a long list of criteria to get LEED certified. Bray says, "it breaks down the parts and pieces of construction and each point and each aspect that we're trying to achieve. So, it gives good talking points to communicate what we're trying to do because it covers everything from site selection and development all the way through the operations of the building." There are four levels of certification. Here's how it breaks down...out of 110 points, a project must get 40-49 to be certified, 50-59 to be silver, 60-79 for gold, and 80-110 for platinum. Bray says, "this has given us a tool and i'm kind of surprised at how quickly it is growing and especially in Montana. A couple years ago, we didn't have and LEED certified buildings in the state." The Bozeman Public Library has silver status. The plans for the new Garlington Building in Missoula have reached gold status. The Missoula Federal Credit Union recently achieved platinum status for it's new building on Russell Street. The LEED system does have its flaws. For example, a project can earn points by using Forest Stewardship Council Lumber. But, that wood needs to be shipped in from other states. Some architects say using local timber is a "greener" option but, it won't add points toward LEED certification.
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