At the end of last month, the City of Seattle broke ground on The Bullitt Center, located at 1501 East Madison Street, which is touted to be the greenest commercial building...in the world.
Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn claimed the $30 million Bullitt Center project will create green jobs on every level, the 94 jobs for the construction workers who will receive green building training on-site, the future 141 permanent jobs for employees in the building and the people in the green building industry who will teach classes and receive green building certificates at the project’s Center for Energy and Urban Ecology.
So Seattle voters, in recession, new jobs are good but is this project just another green monument that may prove to be a drain on taxpayers?
No, says the Mayor and the Bullitt Foundation. The new Bullitt Center will be taking
net zero building trends to new heights. This six story tall, 52,000 square-foot office building is designed to be both a net-zero energy building and a net-zero water building while managing all of its own waste needs. It will produce as much energy as it consumes, provide all of its own water, and process all of its own sewage. It will also use only 1/3 as much energy as an average, similar-sized building – or half as much as a certified LEED platinum building!
Achieving these goals may not be an easy feat but if successful, will make the building much more affordable to operate. Some of the green technologies used in the building include:
- A triple-glazed curtain wall system
- Windows that open and close automatically depending on outside conditions
- A closed-loop geothermal system
- Radiant floor heating and cooling
- Extensive daylighting thanks, in part, to taller than average ceilings and windows
- Rooftop solar system designed to generate 100 percent of the building’s energy needs
The green tax dollar savings allegedly won't stop after construction is complete. Tenants in the building will be required to use electronics that are extremely energy efficient and are designed to automatically shut down at night. Although this sounds like a Machiavellian requirement for tenants to meet, four of the six floors have already been rented out.
If the project delivers the expected performance ratings, then kudos will be in the offing to the design and construction team behind this premier green building project, the Miller Hull Partnership, Point32, Schuchart Construction and PAE Consulting Engineers.
The project's success would probably be good for the Mayor's performance rating too!
