News
Two Green Buildings Defy Sustainability
March 22, 2012
| Most, if not all, Class-A buildings have some green certification. If you think that's the penultimate of sustainability, think again: this week, we got an in-depth look at two new buildings striving to be greener than green. |
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| More than 90 people (and an unidentified number of robots) gathered at the University Heights Center this week to hear Skanska EVP Lisa Picard and landscape designer Barbara Swift of Swift & Co lay out plans for Stone34, a five-story office/mixed-use retail building designed by LMN Architects that will be Brooks Sports' new world HQ. |
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| Above, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, Fremont Chamber director Jessica Vets, Brooks CEO Jim Weber, Lisa, and Sustainable Wallingford coordinator Cathy Tuttle at the Brooks announcement last month. Our suggestion that the building resemble a giant foot was not heeded, but the 120k SF building at North 34th and Stone Way in Fremont will be one of only two in Seattle taking the Living Building Challenge, a certification level described as "deep green." (Which is almost as good. Really.) The goal is to create a fully functional office building that uses 75% less energy and water than a normal office building, Lisa says. In an effort to get to zero water waste, the building will have rainwater capture and treatment facility and a green roof with terrace has also been proposed. "We're really excited about where the project is going," Lisa told the crowd at the University Heights Center. |
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| The $30M Bullitt Center, currently going up on Capitol Hill, may just be the nation's greenest commercial building. The Center, developed by Point32 (with rendering provided by Miller Hull Partnership), plans to offer market rate leases comparable to other Class-A spaces downtown. It's one of the few buildings in Seattle participating in the Living Building program, and by far the largest commercial project pursuing the Living Building Challenge. The Bullitt Center is scheduled for completion this fall. |
