Featured Project

View the case study here.

SouthEast Effective Development (SEED)
Seattle, WA
Project: Claremont Apartments

SouthEast Effective Development's (SEED) 68-unit Claremont Apartments building was a Built Green Incentive recipient when the project was in design back in the spring of 2008. The 4-Star affordable housing complex on Rainier Avenue South is now complete and only the third multifamily building to receive the 4-Star designation. With a green roof, a courtyard filled with drought tolerant landscaping, green walls and green screens, SEED made an extensive effort to reduce runoff and mitigate urban heat-island effect. The newly restored brownfield site is also only blocks from the Rainier light rail station. The project is built to perform 15 percent better than Washington State Energy Code based on a UA calculator and achieved that efficiency through high-efficiency water heaters, extensive use of high-efficiency lighting and a tight, well-insulated envelope. To promote good indoor-air quality, the building is a designated non-smoking building, as well as features low-VOC paints throughout. The project also achieved a 90-percent construction-waste recycling rate while using locally sourced countertops, windows and cabinets, along with commissioning a local artist to provide exterior building art.

Some of the many green features of the project include:

Site and Water Protection

• Rooftop deck and green-roof
• Extensive use of native drought tolerant plants on both green-roof and courtyard
• Green screens and walls add even more foliage to site
• Centrally located in urban environment with close proximity to light rail and bus routes
• Development included mitigation of existing brownfield site
• Installed low-flow showerheads and faucets in all units
• Provided underground parking at less than one space per unit
• Provided dedicated flex-car stall in parking garage and a hard-wired outlet for electric vehicles
• Mixed-use building also contains commercial space on the first floor

Energy Efficiency

• Home designed and built to use 15 percent less energy than required by new construction energy code
• Fully insulated intersections of exterior walls and corners through open cavity framing
• Provided individual metering for each unit
• Installed Berko high-efficiency gas water heaters
• No air conditioner installed in building
• Extensive use of high-efficiency lighting in both units and common areas
• Installed gas clothes dryers and Energy Star refrigerators in all units

Indoor Air Quality

• Building is a designated non-smoking building
• Low-VOC Parker EcoGreen paints used throughout
• Moisture tested wood prior to sealing in walls
• Installed sill protection at windows and doors
• Installed sealed combustion heating and hot water equipment
• Permanently installed track-off mats at building entrance

Material Use

• 90 percent total construction-waste recycling rate achieved
• Installed recycling stations on each floor
• Used locally sourced countertops, windows, cabinets and doors
• 50-year warranted fiber cement siding used on building

Photos courtesy of Kim Calander.

To see other previously featured virtual tours, click here.

Call for Submissions

CALL FOR WHITE PAPERS for 2011 Built Green Conference & Festival
The 2011 Built Green Conference & Festival will be held on September 14 at Pickering Barn in Issaquah, WA. We are seeking engaging speakers to share advanced technical knowledge, on-the-ground expertise and visionary wisdom on a wide-range of topics. If you have a new angle on any facet of the industry, insight into trends or breakthroughs in design and technologies and you know how to capture an audience, we look forward to hearing from you! Find more information here.

King County Parks Launches Camping Cargo Container Design Competition
Currently, King County has one campground, with demand for unique, close-in recreation opportunities rising. This competition is the first step in helping to meet the demand. Little Footprint Big Forest is a call out to architectural firms and schools to design overnight structures re-using surplus cargo containers. This competition seeks to integrate the principles of conservation and sustainability with public reaction, design, aesthetics and forest stewardship in a unique way. As part of the competition, one of the requirements will be for designs submittals to utilize the King County Sustainable Infrastructure Scorecard as a guideline to incorporate green building and sustainable development. For more information, click here.

Call for Entries: 2011 4th ANNUAL Green Builder® Home of the Year Awards
Do you think green? Do you build sustainably? Do you incorporate the natural environment when planning your design? Green Builder® magazine is looking for the best green homes that include sustainable features, innovative design, whole home performance and integration with the natural environment. Enter our 4th Annual Green Builder Home of the Year Awards now! To receive an entry packet, please contact heather@greenbuildermag.com. Entries must be received no later than July 25, 2011.

MBA & BG News

Built Green-certified and enrolled projects map!
Fantastic news for homeowners, prospective homeowners, realtors and builders! We now have all certified projects and enrolled projects (over 12,000 of them!) on a map for you to browse and play with. Please check it out here, and let us know what you think via twitter or e-mail.

Sponsors and Exhibitors for 2011 Built Green Conference & Festival
We are looking for 3-, 4- and 5-star Sponsors and Exhibitors for our 2011 Built Green Conference & Festival! This NorthWest premier green building event will be held on September 14 at Pickering Barn in Issaquah. If you are interested in exhibiting or for sponsorship information, please contact our Sales and Marketing Department.

Single-Family Checklist Updated
A reminder that you have until July 1 to enroll projects and certify them under the old Single Family New Construction Checklist. Construction must also be complete by the end of the year, December 31, 2011. Please visit the website to download the revised checklist.

New Members

Are you a Built Green member and a member of the Master Builders Association? Then your company is designated with a small green tree on the Master Builders Association website as a Built Green member. Your company is also listed on the Built Green website.

Welcome to our newest member companies!

Jolly Construction, Inc
(206) 367-8421 in Seattle

Benjamin Custom Homes
(253) 332-4812 in Auburn

Dovetail Inc
(206) 545-0722 in Seattle

Kendall Homes NW
(206) 257-5504 in Seattle

Also, welcome back to our old members:
Weber Thompson, Joseph McKinstry Construction Co, C P Granger Inc, Krekow Jennings Inc, Schuchart/Dow Inc, Pelletier & Schaar, Creative Home Partners LLC, Concept Builders Inc, Land Technologies Inc, and Jacobson/Klein Inc .

Member News

Patti Southard receives 2011 Cascadia Fellow and Public Sector Leadership awards
King County is very fortunate to have incredible staff who are exceptional leaders in their fields. At this year's Cascadia Green Building Council's 2011 Living Future Unconference, Patti Southard was awarded two separate awards for her contributions and leadership in green building.

Patti has been a leader in the sustainable building industry for more than a decade. For the past six years, she has been a program manager with the King County GreenTools Program and leads outreach, residential green building and King County city initiatives. She also chairs the Sustainable Cities Coalition and provides education to consumers through King County's award-winning "EcoCool" Remodel Tool and the "EcoCribz" video series. She is currently board president of the Northwest Natural Resource Group and sits on the boards of the New Orleans EcoVillage Park and zHome Partnership.

Patti has a strong passion for supporting all green building efforts, both within King County government and among city jurisdictions and the broader public. Through her support and involvement, countless green building projects around the region and across the country have strengthened their sustainable development efforts. Her out-of-the-box approach has resulted in highly successful projects, such as the EcoCool tool, GreenTools Toolkit and Green Building Roadmap.

"Our 2011 Fellows are recognized for their outstanding leadership throughout the region and beyond," said Jason F. McLennan, CEO of the Cascadia Green Building Council. "And Branch leaders are the bedrock of the green building movement in the bioregion's key markets. We are elated to honor such distinctive individuals."

Cascadia Fellows are individuals who exemplify Cascadia's mission to lead a transformation of the built environment to be socially, ecologically and economically sustainable. The Branch Leadership Awards celebrate exemplary local leaders.

Honorees were announced during the Big Bang Dinner and Awards ceremony. Hosted by Cascadia, the annual unConference provides a unique venue to learn about the next generation of green building practices and strategies and network with industry solution-seekers. Congratulations to Patti for her well-deserved recognition!
Click here for information on other awardees.

New Certifications

Congratulations to:

Anderson Construction Group for certifying their new-construction project: a single-family house at 2120 NW 97th St. in Seattle as 4-star Built Green.

SouthEast Effective Development for certifying their new-construction project: multifamily apartments at 3333 Rainier Ave. S. in Seattle as 4-star Built Green.

Sockeye Homes for certifying their new-construction project: a single-family house at 10753 Crestwood Drive S. in Seattle as 4-star Built Green.

Bennett Homes for certifying their new-construction projects: single-family homes at 995 and 996 3rd Court NE and 300, 308, 348, 356, 364, 372 NE Eagle Way in Issaquah as 4-star Built Green.

CamWest Development Inc for certifying their new-construction projects: single-family homes at 299 NE Eaton Lane; 943 and 951 3rd Ave NE, 939, 945, and 951 3rd Court NE; and 358, 372, 386, and 398 NE Denny Way in Issaquah as 4-star Built Green.

King County

Aging at Home - Universal Design
You're never too old for a green remodel! Universal Design addresses senior mobility and safety to make homes usable, efficient and appealing to a wide range of uses and users. King County GreenTools new brochure has tips and resources for any stakeholder including builders to plan a remodel for aging in place.

Contact Built Green

Master Builders Association
335 116th Avenue SE
Bellevue, WA 98004
P: (425) 460-8238
F: (425) 646-5985
builtgreen@mbaks.com
www.builtgreen.net

Master Builders Association Calendar of Events

If you have news items for this newsletter, please send us an email. Click here for Directions to the Master Builders Association.

Trends & Numbers

Monthly green-certified home sales statistics have been provided by GreenWorks Realty from their ECert Report. The data covers King County and Seattle and compares homes with an environmental certification to those without based on sales price, square footage and time on market differences for homes built 2007 and later. The environmental certifications include Built Green, Northwest Energy Star Homes and LEED for Homes. The predominate certification in the region and in the report is Built Green.

Historic data shows certified homes in King County and Seattle sell for more, are smaller in size and, in some instances, sell in shorter market time. The data represents a clear snapshot of the metropolitan green-home marketplace and has been referred to in studies and reports across the country and internationally. GreenWorks Realty broker Ben Kaufman compiles the ECert Report based on Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS) sales data. From time to time, Kaufman will add commentary on trends affecting the green home market with additional charts and sales data. Visit the ECert Report for more information.

Click on the graph above to see a larger image.

Click on the graph above to see a larger image.

Events

Brownbag: Early Planning of Bioretention and Permeable Pavement
June 2, Seattle
SPU's Tracy Tackett and Shanti Colwell are teaching a brown bag session on "Early Planning of Bioretention and Permeable Pavement." There have been several incidents in the past year where we (or our consultants) have gotten behind bioretention concepts with critical flaws like conflicting underground infrastructure or inconsistency with SDOT policies. Save time and avoid angst by learning about the early planning factors that determine a GSI project's viability.
Contact Eleanor Jackson at (206) 684-5155 or by email for registration or questions.

Seattle Greendrinks
June 14, Seattle
Founded in 2003, Seattle Greendrinks' main event remains an monthly informal social-networking gathering. This gathering remains the core of Seattle Greendrinks' work, and all are welcome to join us the second Tuesday of every month, starting around 5:30 p.m. The goal of our group is pretty simple: to create a space that fosters connections and good times shared among people working in, or interested in, environmental and sustainability issues.

Classes

Classes listed below are approved workshops for fulfilling the annual Built Green education requirement for certifying projects.

Introduction to Built Green®
June 14, MBA Housing Center, Bellevue
This session is scheduled for June 14 from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the MBA Housing Center at 335 116th Ave. SE in Bellevue. This seminar provides an introduction to the Built Green program and provides an introduction to the Built Green program. Learn how to certify a project and use the checklist, how to join, how the program works and other resources. The seminar presents examples of projects and covers how to fill out the Built Green checklist. This orientation has a cost of $30 and is required in order to certify homes as Built Green. Register here.

Built Green® Real Estate Professional Series
June 15, Bellevue
Introducing a new comprehensive course series that opens the world of Built Green® to real estate professionals! Designed especially for the real estate community, these six, three-hour-long course modules each focus on a particular subject matter related to building - and selling - Built Green® certified homes.
Topics include: Green Demographics, Economics, and the Marketplace; Understanding and Translating the Benefits of Site & Water Conservation plus Built Green® Primer; A Look Behind the Walls for Energy Efficiency; Clearing the Air Benefits of Good Indoor Air Quality; Tangible Benefits of Materials Management; and how to maximize traditional marketing strategies and new strategies to attract green home buyers.

Built Green Real Estate Certification Exam
June 22, Bellevue
As more homeowners are becoming interested in greener, healthier and energy-efficient homes, it is vital for real estate agents to be able to communicate a home's green features to potential buyers. Studies in King County show that on average, homes that have been certified as green, sell faster and at a higher value than non-environmentally certified homes. In addition, Built Green homes consistently comprise one-third of all homes sold in King County. By getting certified by Built Green's Real Estate Certification, you are demonstrating your knowledge and credibility of green buildings and homes to your clients. And for a limited time, the exam fee is discounted to $100 instead of regular $250. The next exam date is June 22. Register today!

Green Agent Essentials Seminar
June 2, Bellingham
The Green Agent Essentials program is a unique 14-clock-hour course provided through one of our scheduled classes or arranged as a private class at your company. It is designed for real estate agents, appraisers, home inspectors, investors and homeowners that are considering buying or selling a green home. Our course is created and taught by market leaders who have shaped the green building industry and understand the marketplace.

Explore the green real estate sector through engaging discussions that will define the different shades of green building practices. Examine the primary environmental certification programs and receive tools for navigating this expanding market. Learn about the features and benefits of green homes and details about certification programs such as Built Green®, Energy Star and LEED. You will walk away with a better understanding of who your buyers are, what is important to them and how to successfully market the many benefits of green homes.

Certified Energy Auditor Preparatory Training Program Online Seminar
June 6, online
Become a Certified Energy Auditor (CEA). The online Certified Energy Auditor Preparatory Training Program covers all aspects of energy auditing, including pre-audit work, data collection procedures, equipment familiarization and utility analysis. End-use equipment and systems are discussed in detail with the primary focus being on identifying energy conservation opportunities and project prioritization using economic analyses. Water conservation and auditing methods are also addressed. This course covers the full scope of subjects that are addressed on the CEA examination and will give you the technical knowledge you need to perform a comprehensive energy and water audit.

Green Home Trends and Appraisal Methodologies
June 7, Bellevue
This WA seven-clock-hour continuing education class is provided free to appraisers working in King, Kitsap, Snohomish and Pierce counties. The costs for this class have been underwritten by Northwest ENERGY STAR® Homes and Built Green® WA. Register here.

Office & Multifamily Buildings: Benchmark Energy Performance Using EPA's ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager
June 8 and 9, online
In this training, you will learn how the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Portfolio Manager can help you evaluate the energy performance of office buildings you own, manage or hold for investment. This training will cover creating a user account, identifying data requirements, managing and sharing information and establishing an energy performance score. The score serves as a benchmark to compare the energy performance of your office building against similar ones across the nation. From a portfolio perspective, energy performance scores provide valuable information for making decisions regarding investments in energy efficiency, developing energy management plans and measuring improvement over time.

Essentials for Healthy Homes Practitioners Course
June 8 and 9, Seattle
If you visit homes to provide health or inspection services of any type, you will benefit from the Essentials for Healthy Homes Practitioners Course. The training will help you understand the connection between health and housing and how to take a holistic approach to identify and resolve problems, which threaten the health and well-being of residents. Contact Trudy San Jose White at (206) 685-2931 or by email.

ENERGY STAR Benchmarking Workshop
June 9, Auburn
This hands-on session will teach you how to utilize the Environmental Protection Agency's Portfolio Manager database, an essential tool for energy management and energy savings. Workshop participants will be seated at a computer work station and receive step-by-step instructions for setting up their ENERGY STAR benchmarking accounts and will begin the initial energy performance rating for their building. Register here.

Certified Erosion and Sediment Control Lead Training
June 14 and 15, Issaquah
This exciting course examines the most up-to-date techniques in the management of sediment and construction sites. Students who attend can receive their Certified Erosion and Sediment Control Lead Training Certification (CESCL) from the Washington State Department of Ecology. This two-day course is a dynamic interaction between the traditional lecture classroom style and hands-on exercises that will take place throughout. These exercises allow each student to practice choosing and correctly installing mats, blankets, check dams, bonded fiber matrix, straw and other erosion control techniques for various site locations. Upon completion students will know how to simply and confidently comply with federal, state and local regulatory requirements of stormwater management.

The Construction Stormwater General Permit requires that site inspections be conducted by a CESCL beginning in October 1, 2006. This Ecology CESCL certification course is recognized by WSDOT as meeting the training and certification requirements of the General Permit and BMP C160 Certified Erosion and Sediment Control Lead (CESCL) in Ecology's stormwater management manuals for eastern and western Washington.

Intended Audience: contractors, agencies and municipalities, engineers consultants and anyone else who desires to receive their CECSL certification with the Washington Department of Ecology.

Stormwater BMPs for Construction (CESCL) and Recertification Course
June 14 and 15, AGC Office, Fife
These training courses teach contractors the most current techniques for successfully managing erosion and sediment at construction sites. In addition, the newest information on complying with federal, state and local regulatory requirements for stormwater is presented in an easy to understand format. The course combines classroom instruction with hands-on field exercises aimed at choosing and correctly installing mats, blankets, check dams, bonded fiber matrix, straw and other erosion control materials for specific site conditions. Participants completing this class will receive certification or recertification as erosion and sediment control leads for the Washington State Department of Ecology. Register here.

Drip Irrigation Basics for the Home Gardener
June 18, Seattle
This class will cover the basics of design, installation and use of a drip irrigation system in the home garden. We will discuss water requirements for edibles and ornamentals; what parts you'll need and where to purchase them; and how to put it all together and get it running. Tips for scheduling, winterizing and troubleshooting will be provided as well. Soaker hoses and other low-pressure options for your garden will be discussed. This class will include a lecture, a garden tour and an opportunity to assemble components of a drip system, so dress for the weather.

This class is sponsored by the Saving Water Sponsorship and is free to residents that reside within participating municipal water districts. Check the Saving Water Partnership's website to be sure that you qualify to register.

Free Workshop on Installing Doors
June 19, Seattle
Installing salvaged doors can add character and function to any home, but it can also be a tricky task. Pacific Iron's Building Materials will lead this free workshop, giving participants the tools, tips and resources needed to successfully install interior and exterior doors. Instruction will cover shopping for the right door for your space, installing a door into an existing jamb and installing a pre-hung door. The workshop is free, but please RSVP with your name, phone number and e-mail to Elena Velkov by email or phone, at 206-763-6929 x13.

HERS Rater Training
June 20 to 24, Olympia
This training is an all inclusive energy auditor training with emphasis on new residential construction and the HERS Rating process. It will teach you how to evaluate the energy performance, comfort and safety of a house through whole-house diagnostic procedures. You will learn how to use the diagnostic tools to find and correct problems in the building's thermal envelope. This training incorporates information about how the Energy Star New Homes Program is operated both nationally and in the four northwest states. The training is intended to prepare the participants to take the tests necessary to become a certified HERS Rater, Energy Star Homes Northwest Energy Star Verifier and Energy Star Homes Northwest Performance Tester. It will prepare you to use energy analysis software and is your first step to becoming qualified to produce energy rating reports that will assist homebuyers and homeowners to qualify for a variety of private and government green-energy-defined mortgages and loans. It will provide an individual, who meets the requirements of the training, the certification for the Federal Tax Credit for energy efficient new homes.

When the class has been completed you will have a reliable understanding of building science and principles and residential energy use. You will know how to use state of the art diagnostic tools, including the Duct Blaster and Blower Door. You will know how to conduct a thorough diagnostic analysis of a home and how to produce that analysis using REM/Rate Software. And if you pass the National Rater test and qualify for Rater Certification, you will be able to certify the home for the Federal Tax Credit. You will also know how to certify a home for the Northwest Energy Star Homes program.

Certified Residential Energy Auditor Preparatory Training Program Online Seminar
June 22, online
Presented online in a series of six live two-hour modules, this seminar is designed to provide the specific training and background needed by professionals preparing to sit for AEE's Certified Residential Energy Auditor (REA) exam. The course agenda also includes updates on topics of current importance to all individuals involved in performing residential energy audits. The program explores all major aspects of home energy use, residential energy systems and technologies, energy conservation measures (ECMs), energy auditing methodology and calculations and diagnostic and software tools.

Building Green Buildings: The Contractor's Perspective
June 27 to Sept 3, online
The purpose of this course is to provide construction professionals with information that will help them to effectively bid, contract, build and close out green building projects. We will explore the green building process from the contractor's and subcontractor's point of view.

Connect with Built Green

Built Green is now on Twitter! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @built_green. It's a great way to network and keep up to date on Built Green, local events and the green building industry!

Our Program Director Aaron Adelstein is also on Twitter now @aadelstein.