Building Connections Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections

Building Connections

Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections news and events

LEED and the International Green Construction Code

by

Since 2000, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has developed an array of green building tools to provide building owners and operators with a framework to identify and implement practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions. Participating buildings may achieve a level of LEED certification representing the amount of high performance measures successfully incorporated into the project. Since its inception, LEED has transformed the way built environments are designed, constructed, and operated, and has helped to make sustainable building practices more commonplace.

Housing Seattle addresses important gaps in Seattle’s housing market

by

Today the Seattle Planning Commission released Housing Seattle, a report that analyzes housing information from the Census, American Community Survey as well as market data.

“The action strategy we put forward today will help Seattle address important gaps in our housing market and disparities among certain segments of the population,” stated Planning Commission Chair Leslie Miller, “Seattle is a stronger, more prosperous city if we have diversity in people who live and work here.”

Green Code Development

by

A green building code known as the International Green Construction Code (IgCC) is currently under development by the International Code Council (ICC) and slated to be published in March of 2012. This code will respond to the need for high performance measures related to site development, material resource conservation, energy conservation, water conservation, indoor environmental quality, and commissioning.

Seattle Raises the Bar to LEED Gold Plus

by

The Sustainable Buildings and Sites Policy for municipal facilities in Seattle, Resolution 31326, was signed by Mayor McGinn on October 12, following the unanimous vote of approval from City Council. The legislation increases standards for the design, construction and operation of City buildings and sites in order to support city-wide goals for sustainable development.

Looking to Streamline LEED Certification and Slim Down Costs?

by

Check out the LEED Volume Program, now available for multiple LEED rating systems including LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (LEED EBOM). The LEED Volume Program is available to organizations wishing to certify a large number of design and construction projects or existing buildings. It works by establishing verifiable guidelines that streamline the certification process without compromising LEED’s rigorous standards. The program simplifies the LEED documentation for multiple buildings, saving money and effort.

City Program Expands, More Buildings to Improve Energy Efficiency

by

The City of Seattle is sending letters to the owners of 8,000 buildings this week informing them of its new building energy-efficiency program. The program aims to help building owners and managers reduce their energy costs through benchmarking – or measuring and rating a building’s energy performance. By benchmarking, owners get insight into how their building uses – and wastes – energy and can begin identifying opportunities to improve energy efficiency and increase savings.

Energy Benchmarking Program Will Help Building Owners Take a Bite Out of Energy Bills

by

Want to lower your energy bills but don’t know where to begin? Start with “benchmarking” your building. Benchmarking—a free and easy way to track a building’s energy performance—gives owners and managers a better sense of how their buildings are using (and wasting) energy, and also helps identify opportunities to increase building efficiency and lower energy bills.

Update on the Seattle 2030 District

by

The Seattle 2030 District is an interdisciplinary public-private collaborative working to create a groundbreaking high-performance building district in the downtown Seattle area. Using the Architecture 2030 Challenge performance goals, the district seeks to develop realistic and innovative strategies to assist members in reducing energy and water in their buildings, and greenhouse gas emissions from transportation associated with their buildings.