World’s greenest office building?

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A Building Not Just Green, but Practically Self-Sustaining – the about-to-open Bullitt Center in Seattle hopes to be “the world’s greenest” office building.  It’s aiming for certification with the Living Building Challenge, “the built environment’s most rigorous performance standard” and which requires 12 months of continuous occupancy to qualify.  The article includes a 13-image slide show.

The project’s backers, led by the environmentally minded Bullitt Foundation, hope to demonstrate that a carbon-neutral office space can be commercially viable and aesthetically stunning without saddling its occupants with onerous demands. And they are determined to make their strategy and performance so transparent that it can be easily copied.

Some of the features:

  • all water will be supplied by rainwater
  • rooftop photovoltaic panels
  • engineering in full site with QR codes for tourists
  • will be “one of the planet’s most closely monitored commercial buildings”
  • timber is certified by Forest Stewardship Council
  • magnificent views in stairwell to encourage use
  • composting toilets
  • lots of bicycle parking, with showers

Thanks, Jim, for forwarding the article!