The Bullitt Foundation, one of the Northwest’s leading environmental organizations, has teamed up with local developer Point32 (BelRoy, Art Stable) and architects Miller|Hull  (1310 E. Union, Garfield Community Center) to construct one of the most energy efficient building in the United States. And what lucky neighborhood will be home to this building? Well, three actually.

The building, called the Cascadia Center for Sustainable Design and Construction, will be at 1501 Madison Ave, current site of C.C. Attle’s and a surface parking lot. While technically part of the Capitol Hill Urban Village, the site also abuts the Pike/Pine neighborhood to the West and the Central Area to the East and South.

The Early Design Guidance Meeting for the project is set for this Wednedsay, March 17th at 6:30pm at the SU A&A Building, 824 12th Ave [map]. You can download the full EDG Proposal here. Below is a quick preview of the project.

View Bullitt Foundation HQ in a larger map

Going beyond LEED Platinum and the 2030 Challenge, the project aims to meet the goals of the Living Building Challenge, a rigorous set of 20 priorities not least of which are 100% on-site waste management and renewable energy generation. Perhaps the most prominent feature of the building will be a huge Photovotalic (Solar Panel) which will cover the entire roof and South side of the building. Chris Rogers, CEO of Point32 said that many people are skeptical about solar in the Puget Sound region, but this project hopes “to prove that the Northwest is a viable place for solar energy”.

Energy Comparisons

Nonetheless, it will be challenging. They expect to produce roughly 22 kBtu/sq/year, nearly a 1/3 less energy than the requirements for a LEED Platinum building. Rogers said that they hope future innovations will provide them with more efficient PV panels, but until then building covenants will limit the energy usage of tenants. So sorry folks, no bakery at this site (Rogers says they use too much energy for baking).

The idea is to make the project a model for sustainable design with a host of progressive organizations and companies residing in the building and a number of features that will allow the public to learn and interact with the building. Confirmed tenants include the Bullitt Foundation, which owns the property, as well as the Cascadia Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, and the International Living Building Institute itself. The building will also contain a number of publicly accessible data reader boards which will display real-time energy usage. They also hope to host on-site classes to teach people about the design and construction process.

McGilvra Place Project

Another interesting feature of the building will be it’s interaction with McGilvra Place, the small “park” just to the West of the building site. Plans call for a small public plaza at the 15th Ave entrance which will integrate with and enhance the current 2,600 square foot green space. They also hope to incoporate their wastewater and stormwater treament system into the park to maintain the 100 year old sycamores as well as other new native plantings. This aspect is currently pursuing funding through the Parks and Green Space Levy Opportunity Fund.

Since it is still early in the design process, little is solidified on the physical look of the building. The photovotalic panels on the South side will be a major feature. Other than that, the team hopes to create a building that is uniquely Northwest by using local products and architectural elements. The proposal states that the team is “inspired by natural trees, filtered light, flowing water, and graffiti“.

Project: 1501 E Madison St  map

Design Proposal available

Review Meeting:	March 17, 6:30 pm
	Seattle University
	824 12th Ave  map
	Meeting Room
Review Phase:	EDG–Early Design Guidance
Project Number:	3011010 permit status | notice
Planner:

Lisa Rutzick