“The world is facing an imminent, unprecedented, multi-lateral environmental crisis: climate disruption; ocean acidification; an epidemic of extinction; severe shortages of fresh water; loss of topsoil; vulnerable monocultures; a global wave of toxic, carcinogenic, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals; overfishing; clear cutting; and an exploding human population with growing demands for scarce resources.
These are not problems for your children. These are our problems.
What we need right now is a major leap forward, and a quantum change in our environment. Our desire is to open a wedge into the future so that we, and others, can see what is possible in a contemporary office building.”
-Denis Hayes, President, Bullitt Foundation
Certified as the world’s largest commercial “Living Building” and one of the most energy-efficient commercial buildings in the world, the Bullitt Center is a game-changing project that has profound implications for the built and natural environments, the Seattle and Pacific Northwest communities, and the global community at large.
The Bullitt Center aims to change the way we invest in energy-efficient design. Working with Seattle City Light, the Bullitt Foundation has embarked on a new energy efficiency investment approach nicknamed the “Negawatt” system. This system will permit energy efficiency to be bought and sold as an investment by separating the efficiency investor from the building owner. If this pilot approach is successful and the “Negawatt” system is adopted nationally, it could be a trillion-dollar game changer.
Open for three years in February 2016 and certified as a Living Building in April 2015, the Bullitt Center serves as living proof that self-sustaining, net positive buildings are financially achievable, comfortable for tenants, and a beautiful addition to the community while leaving virtually no environmental footprint. By sharing lessons learned from the project, including how to do more with less, occupant experience antidotes, and actual energy use and production, the team hopes to educate and inspire owners and future design teams to create projects that exceed the Bullitt Center’s performance.
Organized by: AIANY Committee on the Environment
Sponsored by: ConEd & Mohawk Group
