The Bullitt Center

Work

The building…is expected to set a new precedent for environmentally friendly design and construction and in doing so would reinforce Seattle’s reputation as a global leader in sustainable development."

Bryn Nelson, The New York Times, October 4, 2011

The Greenest Commercial Building in the World: Engineering solutions to achieve Living Building status

Regarded as the most energy efficient commercial building in the world, the Bullitt Center sets new standards for green building by having achieved Living Building status. DCI Engineers provided innovative, sustainably-focused structural design services for this ground-breaking, six-story office building in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Location:

Seattle, Washington

Square Feet:

50,000

Stories:

Service:

Structural

Industries:

Commercial, Mass Timber, Sustainable Design

Primary Material:

Steel, Wood

Project Highlights

As designed, the building’s lifespan is estimated to be 250 years.
The center’s Living Building status is performance-based and will be evaluated after one year of operation.
Included in the building’s overall sustainability is 100% on-site renewable energy generation, 100% of water needs provided by harvested rainwater, and on-site waste management.
Contains two exposed staircases, 550-sf of green roof area, and 530-sf of greywater constructed wetlands for water storage and filtration.
Roof consists of 14,300-sf of photovoltaic array that is supported on a structural steel grid.
Basement contains a 56,000-gallon cistern to capture rainwater.
Provides an 83% total energy savings over a typical commercial office building constructed in Seattle.

Awards and Certifications

Living Building certification
2016 AIA Seattle Energy in Design
2015 Sustainable Building Industry Council “Beyond Green” Awards, Category A: High Performance Building, Highest Honor Award
2015 AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten
2014 Woodworks US Wood Design Award – Multi-Story Wood Design
2013 ENR Northwest’s Best Projects, Green Project
2012 FSC Awards for Best Building Projects, Commercial/Institutional

Grant Buckingham

Vice-President, Seattle

PE, SE

Every project has at least one unique challenge. I enjoy working with the project team to develop innovative solutions for those challenges. It is truly satisfying to work together to overcome challenges and make a project successful.”

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