The 50,000 sf Bullitt Center in Seattle is being constructed to be the greenest, most energy-efficient commercial building in the world, and meet the ambitious goals of the Living Building Challenge. “We were shocked to learn that it is flat-out illegal to build this sort of ultra-green building in any city in America,” says Bullitt Foundation President Denis Hayes. “But Seattle changed its building code to allow super-green buildings to meet performance standards as an alternative to prescriptive standards. We wanted the design flexibility to construct a building that used less than one-fourth the energy of a (standard) code building.”
(http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/24/how-nrel-influences-new-high-performance-buildings/)
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Nov 18, 2020
Commissioning study finds median energy savings of 3% to 16%
Berkeley Lab examines results of commissioning across building types.
Codes and Standards | Nov 17, 2020
Midtown Manhattan’s empty offices could be converted to affordable housing
Advocates envision idle offices re-zoned to alleviate housing crisis.
Codes and Standards | Nov 16, 2020
New concrete detailing manual includes downloadable CAD files
American Concrete Institute document contains guidance on codes for structural concrete.
Codes and Standards | Nov 12, 2020
California rent control measure defeated
Golden State voters reject Proposition 21.
Codes and Standards | Nov 11, 2020
NY court ruling makes it easier for condo boards to sue investors for construction defects
Investors would be tapped for damages on such cases.
Codes and Standards | Nov 10, 2020
Researchers and industry leaders will form national institute for AI in construction
Goal is to identify high-impact areas for application in design and construction.
Codes and Standards | Nov 6, 2020
Jobsite injuries in New York City decline 20% since 2017
Safety training cited as a cause of improvement.
Codes and Standards | Nov 4, 2020
Commercial building owners having tougher time securing insurance policies and renewals
Insurers’ fears of civil unrest in wake of election prompt builder’s risk coverage moratoriums.
Codes and Standards | Nov 4, 2020
Turn rooftops into revenue generators with solar arrays
Lease or ownership models for PVs make more sense than ever.
Codes and Standards | Nov 3, 2020
The argument against gas stoves includes degraded indoor air quality
Asthma seems to be aggravated by cooking with flame.
