We are pleased to announce the winners of the Built Green™ Seattle Design Competition, featured in the April issue of our "dpdINFO" newsletter. Launched in November 2003, the competition was designed to encourage the development of residential green building projects in Seattle, and to demonstrate:

• the benefits of green homes to builders, consumers and real estate professionals;
• that Built Green™ is smart business; and,
• a market advantage for green architects, builders and developers.

DPD Director Diane Sugimura and Sam Anderson, executive for the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBA), presented the awards on March 17 at the 2005 Built Green™ Annual Conference.

"We can make a difference!” Sugimura told attendees. “The City held the Built Green™ Seattle Design Competition to encourage development of homes that are healthier for Seattle citizens and healthier for the environment. A year and a half ago, there were only 12 Built Green™ certified homes in Seattle. Now, we have 79 Built Green™ certified single family and multifamily projects with a total 189 units.

“But perhaps even more significant are the more than 800 new Built Green™ projects with a total of 1,600 housing units currently under development in Seattle. What a strong statement about how much this market is growing.”

How Project Entries Were Judged
Project entries were submitted under one of the four Built Green™ programs—Home Builder, Remodeler, Multifamily and Communities. Entries were required to earn a minimum of 40 percent of the total points obtainable in the program, and to strive for a balanced approach by achieving points in all categories.

A jury of green building industry professionals judged the projects on design excellence, overall Built Green™ performance and a demonstration of a balanced approach by paying attention to site issues and water conservation, energy efficiency, health and indoor environmental quality, materials efficiency and homeowner education. The jury also considered how the projects support the City’s environmental and housing goals, which include expanding the stock of affordable housing near jobs and community benefits, preventing air and water pollution, and reducing the risk of asthma and respiratory illness.

The selected projects will receive a financial award of $1,000-$10,000 and public recognition. The range of project types includes custom home remodels, single family homes with accessory dwelling units (ADUs), multifamily affordable housing projects, and the redevelopment of a large community. These projects demonstrate a variety of innovative strategies from passive solar design and on-site generation of renewable energy to rainwater harvesting systems and natural drainage systems.
DPD will develop more extensive case studies on each of the winning projects in the near future.

Design Competition Partners
Organizations that partnered with the City of Seattle to host the design competition include: Seattle Department of Planning & Development, Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle City Light, King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, American Lung Association of Washington, Washington State University Energy Program, Northwest EcoBuilding Guild, and Resource Venture.