Salt Lake City’s two ground-breaking Net Zero fire stations have been recognized with top environmental sustainability certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Station No. 3, 2425 S. 900 East, and Station No. 14, 3800 W. California Ave., were honored with LEED Platinum and Gold certifications, respectively, in early April. 

LEED — Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design — standards provide a framework for healthy, efficient and cost-saving green buildings. LEED certification is an internationally recognized symbol of achievement in sustainability and leadership.

“Salt Lake City is committed to building green, and these two stations were prime opportunities for us to show that commitment,” Mayor Erin Mendenhall said. “Particularly with Station No. 14 being on our City’s Westside, which has historically endured worse air quality than the rest of the City, we felt it was important that we get this right. I’m grateful to Chief Lieb for his vision and creativity in making this happen. These certifications are a tremendous accomplishment.”

Salt Lake City made history in 2018 when Station No. 3 and Station No. 14 opened as the first fire stations in the nation constructed to be Net Zero. Both are symbols of Salt Lake City’s leadership and commitment to sustainability and clean energy policies that reduce pollution and, in particular, improve air quality in Utah. 

Both stations generate power from more than 300 solar panels, producing enough electricity to offset 100 percent of their annual power consumption. 

Other green building features of the stations include LED lighting, improved indoor air quality, geothermal heating and cooling, low-flow plumbing and low-water landscaping. 

In addition to the new LEED Certifications, both stations have earned numerous other design accomplishment awards, including awards from the American Institute of Architects and the national publication Engineering News Record (ENR). ENR annually recognizes design and construction excellence in a variety of facility uses including, transportation, culture and worship, multi-family residence, historic restoration, office/mixed use spaces and government or other public buildings. 

In ENR’s 2019 Mountain States Region competition, Station No. 3 was named Best Green Project and Station No. 14 was recognized as Best Government/Public Building.  ENR has also honored Station No.14 with “Best of the Best” national design award for 2020. A ceremony is set for later this year. 

“We are honored to receive this national recognition from ENR,” said Fire Chief Karl Lieb. “Salt Lake City’s Fire Department takes our responsibility to protect the community seriously. This is what we do every day in responding to incidents and emergencies, and it’s what we’re doing at a systems-level in how we construct and manage buildings, source renewable energy, and support cleaner-fueled vehicles.”

Both Station No. 3 and Station No. 14 were designed by Salt Lake City-based Blalock & Partners Architectural Design Studio. 

Other awards:

Station No. 14 – LEED GOLD
2020 Best of the Best, Government/Public Building, Engineering News Record-Nationwide
2019 Merit s, AIA Western Mountain Region
2019 Best Government/Public Building, Engineering News Record-Mountain States
2018 Merit Award, AIA Utah
2018 Green Building Award, Associated General Contractors Utah
2018 Career 1 Gold, Firehouse Station Design Awards
2018 Most Outstanding Green/Sustainable Project, Utah Construction and Design

Station No. 3 – LEED Platinum

2019 Honor Award, AIA Utah
2019 Best Green Project, Project of the Year Finalist, Engineering News Record-Mountain States
2019 Municipal Building Project of the Year, Associated General Contractors Utah
2019 Career 1 Notable, Firehouse Station Design Awards
2018 Most Outstanding Municipal Project, Utah Construction and Design

###