Seattle’s Bullitt Center

Just a year and a half since the Guardian announced the construction had begun, the Bullitt Center, Seattle’s carbon-neutral energy and net-zero water building has welcomed its first occupants for its grand opening on Earth Day, April 22nd. Located at the edge of Capitol Hill, the six-story building is estimated to function at 83 percent more efficient than the city’s average commercial site.How is it possible? All the water will be supplied by rainwater; collected, filtered and disinfected. Additionally, the project’s backers have instilled strict electricity usage budgets and detailed outlet meter readings so that management can pinpoint where energy is being used.

The New York Times published an article earlier this week outlining details on how the Bullitt Center evolved from an idea to reality and how its creators hope their strategy and building plans may act as a model for how we can live responsibly within beautiful sunlit rooms. In the meanwhile, the building must undergo a year-long process of certification called the Living Building Challenge, to determine if it is in fact self-sustaining. Should it pass all regulations, it will be the largest of four qualifying buildings in the United States. Check out the NYT slideshow here and follow up to see how the Bullit Center occupants respond to composting toilets, lack of onsite parking, and the gorgeous views of Puget Sound.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 12th, 2013 at 8:00 am. It is filed under Sustainability. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.