 |
City of Seattle
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor
|
NEWS ADVISORY
|
| SUBJECT: Seattle City Hall receives gold rating for environmental design
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
10/11/2005 2:00:00 PM |
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Alex Fryer (206) 684-8358
|
Seattle City Hall receives gold rating for environmental design
SEATTLE — Mayor Greg Nickels announced today the U.S. Green Building
Council has awarded the Seattle City Hall a gold LEED (Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design) rating.
“Receiving a gold rating is an extraordinary achievement and reflects
the city’s leadership in protecting the environment,” Nickels said. “This
building is a gathering place for the people of Seattle , so it is fitting
that it reflects the city’s values of protecting the water, land, and
air today and for generations to come.
Six other city of Seattle buildings have also received LEED certification:
the downtown Justice Center (silver); Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center (certified);
Park 90-5 (building C – gold; building A – silver); the Seattle
Central Library (silver); the Highpoint Community Center (certified); and the
Carkeek Park Environmental Learning Center (gold). In all, 14 public and private
buildings are LEED certified in Seattle , the most in any city in the country.
Some sustainable elements of the City Hall are:
- Water conservation and on-site water detention and reuse
- To reduce the potable water demand, low-flow plumbing fixtures, waterless
urinals and drip irrigation were installed.
- Rainwater is harvested and collected in a cistern for landscape irrigation
and toilet flushing to further reduce potable water use.
- A green roof with drought tolerant plants absorbs and filters rainwater,
reducing the volume of stormwater requiring treatment.
- Use of local and regional materials, recycled content materials, demolition
and construction waste recycling
- A variety of recycled materials from local sources were installed, such
as concrete, steel, carpet, ceiling tiles, gypsum wallboard, restroom partitions
and ceramic tile.
- Concrete from the previous building was reused in both the concrete mix
for the new City Hall, as well as for shoring, and the old parking garage
was crushed for fill.
- On-site recycling during construction saved more than a million dollars
by diverting 25,924 tons of waste (representing almost 90 percent of the
total construction waste materials) from the landfill. Overall, concrete
made up 65 percent of the material; wood and metal combined made up another
25 percent.
- A high percentage of materials were procured regionally, reducing energy
consumption in the transportation of materials.
- Fly ash was used in some of the glass, allowing reuse of waste materials
and reducing the heat load from sun.
- Indoor environmental quality and energy conservation
- City Hall was designed for a 100-year life span through material choices,
spatial layout qualities and the ability to accommodate updates in city services
and future technology. The building layout allows flexibility for occupants,
and barrier-free design provides accessibility for all.
- Low volatile organic chemical paints and glues were used.
- CO2 detectors change the air flow to ensure healthy air.
- Solar-activated light sensors, dimmers and occupancy sensors are utilized.
- Lights are on timers and in zones.
- Efficient elevators consume less energy.
- HVAC is energy efficient.
Opened in 2003 and located on Fourth Avenue between James and Cherry streets,
City Hall is a civic center that is open and inviting to the public. In addition
to hosting numerous meetings, the building contains TV studios, plazas, fountains,
event space and other amenities. This winter it will also include an emergency
shelter for the homeless. Although highly energy-efficient, these features
mean the building is open longer and uses more energy than a typical office
tower.
The U.S. Green Building Council developed the LEED green building rating
system as a formal certification process for building projects. Different levels
of green building certification (certified, silver, gold, platinum) are awarded
based on the total credits earned in each of several categories: site, energy,
material and resources, indoor environmental quality and water. The city of
Seattle was the first municipality in the nation to formally adopt a LEED standard
for its projects, and many other cities across the country have now followed
suit.
City Hall was designed by the joint architectural venture of Bassetti Architects
and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. The contractor was Hoffman Construction.
- 30 -
Office of the Mayor
|
