Seattle

Key Players

Owner/Developer Skanska USA Commercial Development

Lead Design Firm LMN

General Contractor Skanska USA Building

Structural Engineering DCI Engineers

Civil Engineering KPFF Consulting Engineers

MEP Engineering McKinstry

Mechanical Engineering WSP

Landscape Architecture Swift Co.

Stone34 represents a new kind of mixed-use building that aims to reduce water and energy use by 75%. It is the first project built to the standards of Seattle’s Deep Green Pilot program, which requires structures to meet six imperatives of the International Living Building Challenge—the world’s most rigorous green building standard.

Buildings constructed under the program must consume less than 25% of the energy and water used by comparable buildings and capture at least 50% of stormwater for use on site.

Located near Seattle’s major foot and bike path, the project was completed in 2014 and resulted in a 129,000-sq-ft, five-story building with four stories of office space and an 8,500-sq-ft ground floor retail space that is designed to engage the community and create opportunities for interaction. The building also features wide sidewalks, public seating, public bike racks, electric car charging stations and edible landscaping.

The project team had to overcome specific challenges to meet the Deep Green Pilot program mandates. Brooks Sports, a running shoe store in the retail space, expected 50% of its employees to shower on site every day. To accommodate that, the team had to revisit water use models to find ways to minimize consumption. Solutions included extra low-flow shower heads and timed shower systems. Brooks Sports will also engage employees in water and energy use reduction.

Building systems include chilled beams and an efficient heat­ recovery system.