Skip Navigation

Sustainable Design & Development

Sustainable Design and Development (SDD) became Army Policy in the year 2000 and in June 2001, the Sustainable Project Rating Tool (SPiRiT) was mandated as the method for evaluating sustainability for all Army projects starting with the FY 2002 MCA program. SDD is the design, construction, operation and reuse/removal of the built environment in an environmentally and energy-efficient manner. The building must meet the needs of today's customer without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Sustainability initiatives require an integrated design approach to the life cycle of buildings and infrastructure. In FY 2001, the ACSIM/USACE issued the initial policy requiring all MCA projects to be scored using SPiRiT and that the project designs achieve the minimum Bronze level. In 2003, the Assistant Secretary of Army raised the minimum sustainable goal level for MILCON projects from Bronze to GOLD. Starting in FY 2006, for all MILCON project designs initiated after March 2003 and for all future MILCON projects, the minimum SPiRiT rating is Gold. This policy applies to vertical construction and projects planned or designed under the Residential Communities Initiative. In FY 2007, the Army designed/constructed 384 new buildings. Of those 384 new buildings, 301 of them, or 78%, could qualify to be certified as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) External Link: The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Army of this Web site or the information, products, or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities such as military exchanges and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation sites, the U.S. Army does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. Such links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this DoD Web site. or 42.2 percent.

ACSIM Information on Sustainable Design & Development External Link: The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Army of this Web site or the information, products, or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities such as military exchanges and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation sites, the U.S. Army does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. Such links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this DoD Web site.

Army Sustainability External Link: The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Army of this Web site or the information, products, or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities such as military exchanges and Morale, Welfare, and Recreation sites, the U.S. Army does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. Such links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this DoD Web site.