Photo courtesy Charter Construction Charter Construction’s new headquarters is Silver LEED certified.

Charter Construction has shown the way for the construction community to deliver on environmental awareness and sustainability by building its new headquarters to the highest environmental standards possible.

Charter says its headquarters is the first in Seattle to attain the Silver LEED certification among offices for general contractors, architects and engineers.

Charter’s culture is to save every usable material for reuse or donation. Prior to demolition of the existing building, many different types of materials were salvaged for reuse, including posts and beams, mirrors, fixtures and a hydronic boiler.

Most of the structural frame and shell of the building was designed out of steel, one of the most recycled products in the world. The frame is clad with steel siding and roofed with an EnergyStar, Kynar-coated and high-emissivity metal roofing. Over 98 percent of the construction debris was diverted out of landfills by Recovery 1.

Charter used locally manufactured materials to help reduce shipping, thus cutting down on the amount of pollution generated. To protect indoor air quality, the contractor installed a carbon dioxide monitoring system with controllable zones.

A 63.4 percent reduction in wastewater was obtained by using special low-flow plumbing fixtures. The move saves 48,888 gallons each year. Another 1,117 gallons is saved by collecting rainwater in a tank and reusing on the landscape.

Grass paving is being used for over half of the parking lot, allowing water to infiltrate into the ground slowly while still being capable of supporting traffic demands.

Charter elected to pursue LEED certification not only to benefit the environment, but to also train itself in green building.