Implementing Seattle's Sustainable Building Policy
Seattle's Sustainable Building Policy calls for all new City-funded projects and renovations with over 5,000 square feet of occupied space to achieve a LEED Silver rating.  This policy affects all City departments involved with construction, including the Department of Planning and Development (DPD), which monitors implementation of the policy and support City projects. 

Seattle’s green building program is now called CITY Green Building and resides within DPD.  Staff at DPD facilitate City project managers and design teams use of LEED by:

• coordinating educational opportunities
• referring projects to utility incentive programs
• offering early design guidance and green building expertise
• recognizing projects and sharing success stories through case studies
• evaluating performance of LEED buildings

Resources for City Facilities Project Managers
This website is designed to help project managers working on City-owned capital improvement projects achieve LEED certification.  It contains the following resources to facilitate this work:

• Seattle's Policy & Progress
• Design Tools & Strategies
• Construction Practices
• Incentives & Assistance
• List of City Projects
• Case Studes on City Projects

If you have questions about green City facilities, or want to find out more about our services, contact our City Projects Liaison today. 

NEW! Resources for Neighborhood Fire Station Projects: Seattle Fire Facilities and Emergency Response Program
Seattle neighborhood fire stations serve a critical role in localized emergency response, binding neighborhoods together and reflecting the local culture. With the Mayor’s environmental priorities and Seattle’s commitment to LEED certification, green building is also an important criterion for the fire station projects. In 2006, City Green Building and Seattle’s Fleets and Facilities Department  worked together to support a series of group workshops and trainings focused on sustainable design for the neighborhood fire station program.

A set of guiding principles, design integration strategies, and implementation ideas were created through this effort. Key concepts emerged that support the operational goals of the fire stations, improve building performance, and reduce operational costs benefiting the City and our citizens. The resulting EcoCharrette Report summarizes the workshop results and serves as a guide for Fleets and Facilities and design teams.

Technical Briefs (hyperlinked to pdf when they become available) include:

• Rainwater and Greywater Harvesting for Beneficial Reuse
• Optimize Energy Performance
• Create Safe and Healthy Environments
• Manage All Stormwater with Rainwise Strategies
• Utilize Hybrid HVAC | Natural Conditioning Scheme
• Illuminate with Natural Daylight and Integrate with Electric Lighting

Ultimately it is up to these design teams to determine the best approach for achieving LEED certification for their circumstances. Eventually, these projects will provide a basis for measuring performance of the neighborhood fire stations portfolio wide, to demonstrate the cost/benefits of green building and to highlight specific strategies to the community that support the Mayor’s environmental priorities.

Homeowners and Building Professionals
If you are a homeowner or building professional looking for incentives and assistance to build green, please visit our Residential, Multifamily, Commercial and Sustainable Communities websites.