DETROIT, MI — On behalf of the Market Leadership Advisory Board (MLAB), the USGBC Detroit Region community announces the winners of this year’s leadership awards, which recognize individuals who have made outstanding commitments to their local communities and projects with outstanding achievement in the realm of green building design and construction. USGBC recognized two volunteers and four projects with awards.

The volunteers receiving the Leadership Awards have been involved with the USGBC community and have spent much of their time focusing on supporting sustainability locally. One volunteer receiving the Legacy Leadership Award helped to establish the original USGBC chapter and has continued to dedicate passion and time to support local sustainability for decades. The Volunteer of the Year award winner was selected by their peers in the community for their service in 2021.

Nominated projects were judged based on the categories in the LEED rating system: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials & Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, Location & Linkages, Awareness & Education, and Innovation in Design.

Legacy Leadership Award

Margaret Matta, LEED AP
USGBC Detroit Region Market Leadership Advisory Board Advisor Emeritus, member of the Women in Green, Green Schools, and Student Design Competition Committees | Project Architect, Redstone Architects

Volunteer of the Year Award

Laura Long, LEED AP
USGBC Detroit Region Market Leadership Advisory Board, Chair of the Student Design Competition Committee, member of Women in Green Committee and the Career Development and Green Building Resources Working Group | Studio Manager, Senior Associate, NORR

Green Building Legacy Award

Rockford Construction Downtown Campus
Project Administrator: Catalyst Partners
Rockford’s commitment to the urban core, the continued revitalization of Grand Rapids, and sustainability is demonstrated by transforming an existing brownfield site into a high performing LEED Platinum-certified corporate campus. The building offers a high-tech environment that improves service to clients and results in greater flexibility for the team.

Green Building of the Year Award: New Construction

AQ Albertus Magnus Hall Renovation
Project Administrator: TowerPinkster
Built in 1959 and renovated in 1989, the Aquinas (AQ) College science department had been making do for decades. With a donor-funded upgrade, the sciences can now flourish in AQ’s LEED Gold-certified science building. The design incorporates a green roof, forested surroundings, local materials, shaded parking lot, energy-efficient systems, indoor air quality, and responsible water use, and diverts more than 75 percent of the demolition waste away from landfills.

Green Building of the Year Award: Existing Buildings

Tanger Outlets Howell
Project Administrator: Tanger Outlets
Tanger Outlets Howell is a LEED Gold-certified outlet center that contains approximately 80 national and local retailers. Pursuing LEED v4.1 O+M certification provided an opportunity for Tanger Outlets Howell to uncover operational efficiencies and establish additional sustainable operating policies and procedures. Additionally, LEED v4.1 O+M certification helped validate the environmental performance and improve corporate performance in third-party ESG ratings.

Green Building of the Year Award: Homes

Osborn Commons
Project Administrator: Woda Cooper Companies
Osborn Commons is a LEED Gold-certified multi-family, mixed-income, mixed-use residential complex. There is a fitness center, laundry, club rooms, and a rooftop patio as well as a ground floor market that ended a longtime food desert in the area.