On May 3, 2018, twenty Panorama residents, accompanied by CEO/CFO Bill Strader and President/COO Matt Murry, took a Panorama bus to Seattle to tour the Bullitt Center, recognized as the greenest commercial building in the world. The building has a variety of tenants that are required to commit to energy and water budgets. The building has been certified as a “Living Building”, meeting rigorous standards of energy production, rainwater capture and other criteria.

The fascinating and informative tour was led by Deborah Sigler, Program Coordinator, Discover Commons, University of Washington Integrated Design Lab. After showing us a film about the Center, Deborah gave us some background about many of the environmentally sound design issues and practices of the Center, then led us to various locations where we could observe these practices.

NATURAL VENTILATION: The ventilation system is designed to keep the occupants comfortable while using much less energy than other office buildings. Heat loss and solar gain are controlled by windows which open and close automatically in response to outside conditions. The windows open straight out, creating a larger effective window opening compared with casement and awning windows.

WATER WASHING: A constructed wetland of horsetail plants filters graywater before it is infiltrated back into the soil. Primary graywater treatment occurs on this third-floor terrace, where water from taps and showers is pumped to the garden, then dispersed through drip lines into the aerated layers of gravel and soil. The water can be evaporated and the plants can soak up the nutrients. The water is collected and pumped through several times and eventually the clean water goes down gravel tubes into the aquifer.

WATERWORKS: The Bullitt Center is designed to help restore the ecological processes of the site back to the way they functioned hundreds of years ago when it was a Douglas fir forest. The Bullitt Center uses only the water it can collect onsite. A parapet roof below the solar panels captures rainwater and brings it to downspouts that carry the water through a filter and down to a cistern in the basement.

COMPOSTING TOILETS: Human waste is transferred to composters and periodically taken offsite to be used as fertilizer. Aerobic digestion heats material to 190 degrees and converts solid waste to compost, eliminating the release of methane gas and dangerous odors. Final processing also removes solid contents accidentally flushed down the toilets, such as cell phones.

IRRESISTIBLE STAIRCASE: The beautifully crafted wood and steel-clad staircase at the front entrance encourages people to climb it instead of using the elevator, helping to conserve energy. This aspect of the building design also encourages physical activity to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

VISITORS FROM PANORAMA CLIMBING STAIRCASE: As Deborah demonstrated various aspects of the building at different levels, most of us chose to climb the staircase, where we were treated to views of downtown Seattle and Puget Sound.

SIXTH FLOOR CONFERENCE ROOM: Most of the Panorama visitors climbed the “irresistible staircase” to the sixth floor and the others used the regenerative elevator, which converts kinetic energy from braking into electricity. We gathered in the sixth floor Conference Room, where Deborah continued telling us about the Bullitt Center.

SOLAR ROOF: The photovoltaic panels on the roof spread out like the canopy of a tree to capture the sun’s rays. To be certified as a Living Building, the Bullitt Center must annually produce at least as much electricity as it uses. The system is connected to the power grid, where the excess power generated in summer is sent. The building then takes electricity from the grid in the winter when production is low. To achieve its “net zero energy” goal, the summer production surplus must meet or exceed the winter production deficit.

VIEW FROM THE SIXTH FLOOR: The large window in the the sixth floor conference room looks out on a spectacular view of Seattle, including the Space Needle and Olympic Mountains in the background.

All Panorama residents were invited to attend this trip, sponsored by the Green Team. All seats on the bus were reserved early and several people were on the waiting list, so we have planned a second trip on September 20, 2018. For details, see EVENTS.