June 9, 2017 (Seattle, Washington) — Urban Visions announced today that 200 Occidental, Weyerhaeuser’s state of the art headquarters in historic Pioneer Square, has become one of the only institutional Office buildings in Seattle to ever achieve LEED Platinum – Core and Shell certification. 200 Occidental received 86 points, achieving LEED certification for implementing practical and measurable strategies and solutions aimed at achieving high performance in sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.
“Preserving our Natural Environment for the benefit of all future generations is one of the highest priorities at Urban Visions,” said Greg Smith, founder and CEO of Urban Visions. “Now more than ever, we all need to step up and do our part. We are proud to achieve LEED Platinum at 200 Occidental and will continue to bring this passion to help fight Climate Change to all our projects.”
Demonstrating developer Urban Visions’ core commitment to sustainability, 200 Occidental was designed and constructed to provide an environment that is conducive to the wellbeing of building occupants while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. The building skillfully incorporates regional products and hand-picked salvaged materials while special care was taken to divert over 75 percent of construction waste away from landfills during construction.
Within the building, high-efficiency HVAC systems minimize energy use while an automated notification system sends an email alert when operable windows can be utilized for natural ventilation. This system is coupled with mechanical dampers that shut down the perimeter ventilation zones as needed. Extra care was taken during construction and in the selection of building materials to utilize low-emitting adhesives, paints, flooring, and composite wood materials to improve indoor air quality and minimize user exposure to harmful chemicals.
Carefully chosen plumbing fixtures reduce water usage by an estimated 40 percent and an efficient irrigation system was installed on the rooftop deck to support a variety of drought resistant native species. Water collected on the rooftop is filtered before entering into the city storm water system.
An array of 90 solar panels is cleverly hidden on the penthouse roof and produces energy to supply at least 1 percent of total building usage. Urban Visions furthered this commitment to reducing the buildings ecological footprint by purchasing renewable energy credits to offset 100 percent of energy use for the first two years of operations.
“Market transformation happens one building at a time. 200 Occidental understands the value of LEED and has exemplified extraordinary leadership in reshaping their sector,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO, USGBC. “The success of LEED is due to the partnership and support of those committed to advancing green building and sustainability. Each new LEED certification is one step closer to revolutionizing the environment in which live, work and play.”
The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the foremost program for buildings, homes, and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained, and operated for improved environmental and human health performance. It is the foremost program for the design, construction, and operation of green buildings. More than 90,000 commercial and institutional projects are currently participating in LEED, comprising more than 19.1 billion square feet of construction space in all 50 states and more than 165 countries and territories.
Dave Low, Principal with Agatewood Sustainable Strategies, managed the LEED certification process for Urban Visions. JTM Construction was the project’s general contractor and Mithun was the project architect. Urban Visions, project developer, currently owns and manages 200 Occidental for building tenant’s Weyerhaeuser, Zocalo, and Cherry Street Coffee. The building was recipient of NAIOP’s prestigious Office Building of the Year award as well as the Seattle 2030 district’s Visionary Award for Leadership.
About Urban Visions:
Urban Visions is a privately owned Real Estate Development Firm with a ‘Path of Progress’ Investment theme. We apply a long-term perspective in anticipating trends that will drive where Seattle is heading over the next several decades. Our team embeds itself into the fabric of Seattle; we engage with key stakeholders and assume leadership roles in shaping land use and development patterns throughout strategic neighborhoods within the City.
We currently have over 750,000 SF of office and residential product under construction, with another 2,300,000 SF of development in the pipeline. Focusing on urban areas as the engines for growth and change, our investments are always dedicated to sustainable development, smart growth, increased density, and transformational place-making. This strategy has resulted in the successful completion and delivery of many keystone projects within downtown Seattle, consistently delivering exceptional risk adjusted returns throughout the market cycles.
