Green Building

About these indicators: These indicators represent the percent of residential units and the number of commercial buildings being built in King County that meet certain environmental standards. Since the construction, remodeling, and ongoing operations of buildings consume many resources, green building practices are an important indicator of the resource consumption patterns of King County residents. The standards being used are:

• For commercial buildings — the national Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Rating System™; and
• For residential buildings — the local BuiltGreen™ certification program.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) developed the LEED rating system to provide a benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance commercial green buildings. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in key areas, including: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, locations and linkages, awareness and education, innovation in design, and regional priority.

The BuiltGreen™ program is a partnership between the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, King and Snohomish Counties, and the City of Seattle. New houses and communities using the BuiltGreen™ standards must meet criteria from the program's checklist, including those related to site and water, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and material selection.

What you can do

As a homeowner: Learn more about purchasing a green home and green home remodeling and maintenance through the following resources:

Purchasing a green home

Information about building and remodeling using green materials and practices

Hiring a green remodel home professional

Do-it-yourself home energy audits

Finding an energy auditor

As a builder or design professional: Build your capacity for green design and construction methods by connecting to local professional organizations, such as the Cascadia Green Building Council or the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild.

Cascadia Green Building Council

Northwest EcoBuilding Guild

U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)

Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI)

Solid Waste Division (SWD)

Ratio of single-family residential units certified annually by BuiltGreen™ at the 3-to 5-Star levels to total new construction permits issued annually for single-family units county-wide

About This Indicator: The BuiltGreen™ Program is a partnership between the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, King and Snohomish Counties and the City of Seattle. New homes being constructed to BuiltGreen™ standards must meet criteria from the program's checklist, which includes categories in site and water, energy efficiency, indoor air quality and material selection.

2009 Results: : 25 percent of new homes are BuiltGreen™ 3-5 Star

2010 Results: 21 percent of new homes are BuiltGreen™ 3-5 Star

Influencing Factors: The BuiltGreen™ Program's share of certified homes relative to total residential building permits fell from 25% in 2009 to 21% in 2010. This trend reflects a decrease in single-family construction due to the economic downturn.

Strategy Going Forward:In 2011, due to the continued economic downturn, BuiltGreen™ will focus on multifamily housing certifications. Current trends indicate an increase in this housing type, particularly apartment rentals. This focus will align with King County's equity and social justice efforts which seek to promote housing for all people that is safe, affordable, high quality and healthy.

Number of single family 3-to 5-Star Built Green™ certified homes in King County 2000 - 2010
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Number of buildings in King County achieving a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating

About this indicator: This indicator presents the number of commercial buildings built in King County in 2010 that achieved a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) developed the LEED rating system to provide a benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance commercial green buildings. LEED recognizes performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

2010 Results: 52 (34 Seattle, 18 rest of King County)

Influencing Factors: Green building practices are influenced by increased consumer demand; public and consumer awareness; land use and building code policies; incentives; technical assistance; and increases in the number of local companies and practitioners skilled in the design, construction and maintenance of high performing green buildings.

Strategy Going Forward: In 2011, the King County GreenTools green building program will offer technical assistance to support the development of more environmentally-friendly and healthy LEED buildings, such as training on the use of the LEED v3 rating system, training on how to conduct eco-charettes to help project teams and managers better design projects to achieve more LEED credits and higher rating levels, and a tour of local LEED Platinum projects to promote and learn from existing successful examples.

Technical Notes: The results for this indicator include 34 buildings in the city of Seattle and 18 in the rest of King County; however, because some LEED building owners choose to keep their registration information confidential, there may be some LEED buildings that are not included in this count.

LEED Certified Buildings
2003 — 2010
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