Feb. 15, 2008
Sims says sustainable green-building ordinance benefits King County’s taxpayers, environment
Taking steps to ensure King County reaps the benefits of ‘green’ construction and maintains its national leadership in the field, Executive Ron Sims is proposing a sustainability benchmark for all county construction projects that saves taxpayers money and helps save natural resources, too.
“From ballfields to bus shelters, building a structure using a sustainable design and sustainable materials typically cost less than two percent above traditional construction,” Sims said. “Over time, the reduced operating, maintenance and other costs of sustainably built projects exceed those initial extra design and construction costs by a factor of 10 to 1.”
Sims has proposed to extend King County’s commitment to sustainable building practices by submitting to the County Council an updated Green Building and Sustainable Development Ordinance.
Replacing the initial green-building policy that was enacted in 2005, the new ordinance requires all King County buildings, renovations, and remodel projects seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification for qualified buildings.
For all non LEED-eligible projects, the county would seek to maximize the use of sustainable design and construction materials. A checklist for facilities maintenance and operations would also be created to ensure sustainable practices are followed.
“We are a nationally recognized leader in establishing sustainable building standards since 1999 when we built the King Street Center, one of the first green office buildings in Seattle,” Sims said. “This updated ordinance ensures that we continue this environmentally sound and economically sensible effort into the future.”
Under the proposed ordinance, all projects big and small would use green building practices. Over time, energy audits would be conducted for all county buildings so that energy savings could be identified. Additionally, green guidelines for building operations and maintenance would be developed.
King County currently has 16 buildings either in design, under construction or completed that are registered with LEED. The buildings that have already attained LEED certification are the Kent Pullen Regional Communication and Emergency Coordination Center, King Street Center, Power Distribution Headquarters, and Marymoor Maintenance Facility.
The Shoreline Recycling and Transfer Station is expected to soon join that list of sustainably designed and built structures. From its rainwater collection system, use of natural light and recycled content construction, the new facility is expected to become the nation’s first LEED-Gold transfer station.
“We achieve life cycle savings through lower electricity, heating, cooling, water and waste disposal costs, and from lower operations and maintenance costs at Shoreline,” Sims said. “Improvements in lighting and air quality also make this a better place for our employees to work, and our customers to use.”
Sims said solid green building guidelines go hand-in-hand with the larger King County effort to address global warming.
“Done collectively throughout King County and its cities, green building will help address our environmental concerns while getting us on the path to smart growth,” he said. “Our goal is to encourage a green wave of sustainable building across King County – not just with large, public projects such as the Shoreline Recycling and Transfer Station, but with smaller buildings and facilities as well.”
King County provides green building assistance for residents, businesses and other agencies throughout the county.
“We offer training, financial incentives and grants, research, project review and strategies and policies to support green building on a large scale,” Sims said.
With free consultations and fee discounts, King County’s Department of Development and Environmental Services provides incentives for builders and developers to use sustainable development techniques.
More information on King County’s green building programs is available at http://www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd/greenbuilding/.