What's Next for Green Seattle?

“Getting to net-zero energy in commercial buildings at scale is the Holy Grail we all aspire to,” says Vulcan's Brandon Morgan, who'll be speaking at the event. “The great work the Bullitt Foundation has done in exploring some new technologies for getting there is inspirational for us all.” In the meantime, he says, for larger buildings, owners and managers can still save significant amounts of energy by applying some cutting-edge technologies.

That is, cutting edge in the sense that they require a commitment to act outside the local norm. For example, Brandon explains, Vulcan was one of the first developers in Seattle to use a reverse cycle chiller to heat domestic hot water (in the Stack House), which is about 2.7 times more efficient than conventional gas-fired boilers. “But we're already looking past that at the potential of sewer waste heat recovery technology to use our building's own effluent for an even bigger savings.” Find out even more at our event: Sign up now!

What's bringing life sciences companies to Seattle? The same as other cutting-edge tech firms: a lot of talent in a really cool city. JLL managing director Conan Lee points out that there's also quite a bit of capital here in the life sciences sector, and together these factors are driving demand for space that can accommodate such tenants. According to JLL, Seattle's No. 10 nationwide in the size and scope of its life sciences industry, with about half of the life sciences jobs in R&D.

BioMed Realty senior director for leasing Mike Ruhl tells us that Seattle's a strong location for life sciences companies because of its base of research institutions, such as the University of Washington, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and the Paul Allen Institute for Brain Science. “BioMed Realty will continue to invest in Seattle because the industry continues to grow here,” he says. “Seattle's more than tech.” Currently, the SoCal-based BioMed owns five properties in greater Seattle, including the 96k SF Fairview Research Center in South Lake Union, which is fully occupied. Tenants include Novo Nordisk and Nanostring Technologies.

Just when you thought Seattle couldn't get any greener, it gets a lot more. Hear how that's possible at Sustainability: The Green Building at the Four Seasons Seattle on Aug. 27. Daniels Real Estate's Kevin Daniels and the National Trust for Historic Perservation's Mark Huppert will keynote. Other panelists will include experts from DLR Group, the GSA, PAE, Paladino & Co, Unico, and Vulcan. Sign up here.

With Bisnow Education's latest video, Real Estate and Their Asset Classes, we drill down to fine-point dynamics of the industry itself, explaining vital differences among the many opportunities (economic and otherwise) commercial real estate has to offer. Peter Linneman, Wharton's real estate program founder and chairman, continues to share his extensive knowledge of how real estate sectors differ in operating, organizing and providing revenue, including:

• Differences among Class-A, B and C properties.
• Risks associated with retail hotel types (the differences are significant)
• Shifts of demand within multifamily
• Strip centers vs. power centers
• The Internet challenge
• And more

This is our latest video and video No. 5 in our hugely popular educational series, with more to come. This one contains two-and-a-half hours of useful information, but it can be digested in bite-sized, five-minute spoonfuls that go down easy (watch a sample here). It's available to Bisnow readers for only $99, or purchase all five videos for $199. Order yours here, and for training program group licenses, email Will Friend at will@bisnow.com.