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City of Seattle
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor
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NEWS ADVISORY
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| SUBJECT: Seattle Justice Center receives silver rating from U.S. Green Building Council
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
10/28/2004 5:00:00 PM |
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Amanda Sturgeon (206)684-0425
Katherine Schubert-Knapp (206) 684-0909
Kathy Sugiyama (206) 684-0909
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Seattle Justice Center receives silver rating from
U.S. Green Building Council
SEATTLE — The U.S. Green Building Council today presented a plaque to the
city of Seattle awarding the Seattle Justice Center with a silver LEED
(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating. On behalf of Mayor Greg
Nickels, Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis accepted the plaque from the Building Council’s
Cascadia Chapter CEO Glen Gilbert.
"This rating is another feather in Seattle’s environmental cap,"
said Mayor Nickels. "Seattle has a long history of keeping our land, air
and water clean for our children and grandchildren. Making sure our buildings
are built with recycled and environmentally safe materials is a big part of this
effort."
The Justice Center was one of the first buildings in Seattle designed using
the LEED rating system, and the first in Seattle registered with the U.S. Green
Building Council. Two other city of Seattle buildings have also received LEED
certification – Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center and Carkeek Park
Environmental Learning Center. In the United States, 136 buildings are LEED-certified,
nine in Washington state.
Some sustainable elements of the Justice Center are: recycled content
materials were used throughout the building; sensors turn off lights when rooms
are not in use; and a thermal buffer wall saves energy by naturally ventilating
heat from the western sun before it reaches the space, while providing good
daylighting and views.
The U.S. Green Building Council developed the LEED certification standard as
a formal certification process for building projects. Different levels of green
building certification (Certified, Silver, Gold, Platinum) are awarded based on
the total credits earned in each of several categories: site, energy, material
resources, indoor environmental quality and water. Use of a national standard
helps establish minimum performance standards, creates a common dialogue for
discussion, and allows Seattle to measure its sustainable building performance
related to other jurisdictions that are using LEED. The City of Seattle was the
first municipality in the nation to formally adopt a LEED standard for its
projects, and many other cities across the country have now followed suit.
The Justice Center, located on Fifth Avenue between James Street and Cherry
Street, was dedicated in November 2002. It houses the Seattle Municipal Court
and Seattle Police headquarters.
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Fleets and
Facilities
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