ABSTRACT
The goal of the Bullitt Foundation in developing the six-story, 52,000-square-foot Bullitt Center was to create “the greenest building in the world” as a demonstration of what can be achieved, with the objective of transforming the way in which office buildings are designed, built, and operated. The construction of the core and shell of this Class A office building cost $18.5 million. The project is consistent with the Foundation’s mission “to safeguard the natural environment by promoting responsible human activities and sustainable communities in the Pacific Northwest.” Led by President and CEO Denis Hayes, the Foundation determined that the new building would be designed to achieve certification through the Living Building Challenge (LBC). Occupied in 2013, the building has performed as net positive energy for its first two years, generating more and using less energy than predicted. In 2014, the building’s energy use intensity (EUI) was 10.2 kBtu/ft2/year, compared to 67.3 kBtu/ft2/year for a typical office building. (See Box 1.1 for a project overview.) Box 1.1: Project overview https://www.niso.org/standards/z39-96/ns/oasis-exchange/table">
IECC climate zone
4C
Latitude
47.61°N
Context
Urban
Size
51,990 gross ft2 (4,830 m2)
50,000 ft2 conditioned area (4,645 m2)
44,766 ft2 net rentable area (4,159 m2)
Building footprint
10,076 ft2 (936 m2)
Height
6 stories
Program
Class A Office
Occupants
145 FTE, plus about 3,000 visitors annually
Annual hours occupied
2,600
Energy use intensity (2014)
EUI: 10.2 kBtu/ft2/year (32.2 kWh/m2/year)
Net EUI: –6 kBtu/ft2/year (–19 kWh/m2/year)
National median EUI for offices 1
67.3 kBtu/ft2/year (212.5 kWh/m2/year)
Demand-side savings vs. ASHRAE Standard 90.1–2007
75%
Certifications
Living Building Challenge (version 2.0)
Energy Star Portfolio Manager benchmark for site energy use intensity
