January 31, 2000

City turns toward greener buildings

When it comes to green buildings, Peter Steinbrueck says proponents still have a lot of explaining to do.

The first priority should be getting the word out. "(At) the last two national American Institute of Architects conventions I've attended there hasn't been a single exhibit of green products," he said. "To me, that indicates there's a long way to go. The convincing has to start with the clients."

At a recent meeting of the city's Neighborhoods, Sustainability and Community Development Committee, proponents presented the city with a laundry list of reasons that cities should take the lead in developing eco-friendly buildings.

"There are long-term savings in capital costs," said Lynne Barker, a board member with the U.S. Green Building Council. "We can develop some forms of incentives to get the private sector to follow the public sector lead, such as streamlining permits."

Sellen Construction Co.'s new headquarters on Westlake Avenue uses high performance, glazed windows that reduce heat gain from the sun but still let in daylight.

Already, the city of Seattle is moving toward sustainable, high-performance building designs -- designs that promote environmental quality through efficient management of energy, water and material resources. Green features include everything from carpets that are low in volatile organic compounds to low-density artificial lighting and an abundance of natural lighting.

Last week, Mayor Paul Schell announced the city's commitment to building and renovating sustainable structures. Schell said the city would adhere to a set of sustainable standards called LEED -- Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

LEED is a rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization that promotes understanding and implementation of green building policies, programs and technologies.

A self-certifying system, LEED allows building owners to accumulate credits for green design strategies they use, earning buildings levels such as silver, gold and platinum. The credits are a sort of stamp of approval that act as a third-party endorsement of their efforts, according to Ervin, president and CEO of U.S. Green Building Council.

Schell said the city must lead by example in adopting LEED standards and a sustainable building policy.

"The actions we take reverberate," he said. "How we build our buildings, how they fit into the community, the resources they use are scrutinized and sometimes celebrated, but almost never do they go unnoticed. Our goal is that city facilities will become models of sustainable environmental stewardship and healthy worker environments, and we think the LEED rating system provides the best standard for defining what constitutes a green building."

Pursuing a sustainable building policy falls within the city's Environmental Management Program, which seeks to reduce environmental impacts of city operations, from the use of natural lawncare products to using alternative fuels for the city's fleet.

Adopting LEED standards comes at a time when the city is embarking on a number of high profile projects that will incorporate green standards, including the new Civic Center, Seattle Center Performance Hall and the new aquarium.

Sellen's new lobby uses cherry and maple accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council, as well as travertine quarried in the Northwest, instead of being shipped from overseas.

"The eventual goal is for all capital improvement projects over 5,000 square feet, whether new or renovated, to meet the LEED silver standard," said Lucia Athens, sustainable design and construction specialist with Seattle Public Utilities. "Our project managers and representatives of our green building team will collaborate with members of design teams to come up with creative solutions to achieve LEED rating."

Ervin said that on a national level the public sector is taking the lead on green building. She said evidence is mounting that green designs, which include better lighting, ventilation systems and use of locally produced materials, translates into higher worker productivity and reduced life-cycle costs.

She added that recent studies in Orange County have shown buildings with improved daylight result in better math and reading scores among students, improved worker productivity and better retail sales among stores using skylights.

"There's a growing body of scientific data on worker productivity that will be important to the marketplace," Ervin said. "Years ago, we had anecdotal information -- now we have good studies that document improved student and employee performance. All of these things coming together are going to accelerate the green building market."

At Sellen Construction Co. Seattle headquarters green design is already proving its worth in the form of reduced energy and water costs. Sellen exceeded the state's energy code by 15 percent and expects to save several thousand dollars a year in electricity costs alone through low power density lighting. The building also uses waterless urinals.

"In order to achieve a LEED rating, we had to approach the building wholistically and integrate all systems in the building," said Barker, Sellen's sustainable construction manager. "Without impacting our budget, we were able to apply LEED standards."

Convincing developers to adopt a green building strategy will mean having to prove that the approach will have a long-term positive effect on the bottom line, Ervin said. Governments can help by offering incentives such as expedited permit approval and tax credits.

"The Green Building Council's membership has grown by 50 percent in the last year," she said. "That tells us that the green building market has grown out of a niche market and into the mainstream market. I think it's going to become the norm in the country in not too many years."