On April 22, Earth Day, the Bullitt Center will open in
Seattle, becoming the world’s greenest commercial building. The six-story
building boasts a variety of environmentally beneficial features, including
geothermal heating, composting toilets, collection and use of rainwater, and a
solar energy system that will generate enough electricity to power the entire
facility.
But perhaps some of the most remarkable aspects of the building
are its efforts to reduce exposure to toxic materials, both inside and outside
the building.
 |
| Bullitt Center Under Construction Photo by John Staments |
Most commercial facilities are built using
hazardous materials that appear on the Living Building Challenge's Red
List. Included on the Red
List are toxins such as asbestos, cadmium, halogenated flame retardants,
lead and mercury. Following the Living Building Challenge, no Red List material has been used during
the construction of the Bullitt Center.
To ensure that the building will remain free of such
materials and chemicals once tenants have started to move in, the facility will
prohibit tenants from purchasing any new office furniture that contains
formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds or any other components considered
toxic.
In addition, the Bullitt Center will work to prevent
pollution of toxic chemicals in Seattle’s waterways. In cities like Seattle,
nonpoint source pollution occurs frequently when runoff flows over hard-packed
surfaces such as concrete, picking up oil, grease, chemicals and toxic
materials before spilling into area waterways. However, at the Bullitt Center,
rainwater will be retained on site and grey
water from sinks will be filtered through a green roof to prevent runoff.
Additionally, around the building, pervious pavement that allows water to
infiltrate into the soil below will be used, stopping the flow of runoff before
it collects toxins or finds its way to Puget Sound.
Find out more about the Bullitt Center by
visiting its website.