The city of Indianapolis has its first certified green building. The new Assessment and Intervention Center, AIC, on the Community Justice Campus received a Silver LEED designation.
The AIC opened late last year and provides services to divert residents from the criminal justice system. The center was built with amenities to improve energy efficiency, sustainability and health. Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said the city is committed to going green.
“When we build green, we exploit our biggest opportunities to use less water, to emit less carbon and to save more money,” Hogsett said.
The building fits into the city’s sustainability plan called Thrive Indianapolis, to increase environmental resilience. Features that qualify it for LEED certification include natural light, outside spaces, use of recycled materials and energy efficient utilities.
Indianapolis City-County Councillor for District 12 Jason Larrison said the building also received credits for community engagement and equity contracting.
“Which I think is really important. It’s not just sustainable from an environmental standpoint but it also gets to be sustainable from a human standpoint,” Larrison said.
The new courthouse and jail still under construction on the campus are also being built green.
Indianapolis has nearly 300 privately-owned certified buildings.
