Seattle’s Green Building Standard is a great way to help projects gain extra floor area and additional height while also taking advantage of the benefits associated with a sustainable building. The major update to be aware of if you’re planning to participate in this incentive program is the introduction embodied carbon reduction requirements. It’s important to note that several of the new embodied carbon reduction requirements also contribute to the majority of the certifications required by the Green Building Standard.

Historically sustainability has been perceived as a cost premium due to the increased costs often necessary to pay for high-performance building systems, but embodied carbon is different; embodied carbon is directly tied to the volume of material we put into our buildings and should be associated with an optimized investment. (Reference the Clackamas Courthouse Case Study)

In fact, paying attention to optimization of material is essential as our market struggles to make projects pencil and design codes yield higher seismic loads which therefore require more material. Like operational carbon, investing up front in the early design phases to bring the design team (and especially the structural engineer) to apply their skills and experiences is essential in determining the most cost effective, structurally efficient, optimized building.

In addition to the City of Seattle, there are several other incentive programs in our area that offer benefits for focusing on sustainability and embodied carbon.

At DCI Engineers, we specialize in unlocking value through structural system reuse, material optimization, supplier coordination, and life cycle assessment. Our expertise in embodied carbon reduction delivers measurable benefits—without added cost. We view carbon-conscious design as a smart investment strategy, and we’re committed to helping our clients identify solutions that drive structural efficiency, cost savings, and climate impact all at once.