Photo by Benjamin Benschneider Seattle is home to the first primary school facility to be certified as a Living Building in the Lower 48 states, the Bertschi School’s Science Wing expansion.

Wastewater plant cleaned up for the 21st century
The Budd Inlet Treatment Plant in Olympia recently got a $37 million renovation to its primary sedimentation basins.

By TOM PAUL
Mortenson Construction

At the UW, smart grids put a lid on energy use
The university installed more than 500 smart meters that measure, monitor and report electricity usage in more than 11 million square feet of space on campus. The data is visualized on a dashboard to identify hidden inefficiencies.

By ASH AWAD and CHARLES KENNEDY
Special to the Journal

Rising sea level threatens Port Gamble tribe
Climate change is bringing unwelcome change to coastal communities around the globe. Locally, projections are that the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe — with about 1,250 enrolled members, a 1,300-acre reservation on the Kitsap Peninsula, and 2.5 miles of shoreline — will lose Point Julia, an area of substantial cultural importance, to sea level rise.

By CALLIE RIDOLFI
Ridolfi Inc.

What’s next in green building? Seattle has it

Seattle recently reasserted itself as the center of progressive green building, pushing designs and methods that will take the city to the next level of environmental efficiency. This is what should be getting attention at Greenbuild and in legislative chambers.

While special interest groups spur debate elsewhere, Seattle is pushing programs that take the knowledge gained from more than a decade of LEED experience to the next level, offering visionary ideas along with practical solutions.

On the visionary side, Seattle is home to the first primary school facility to be certified as a Living Building in the Lower 48 states, the Bertschi School’s Science Wing expansion. This is no small accomplishment. Not long ago, the idea of net-zero energy, net-zero water facilities made with only sustainably sourced materials was good for cocktail party discussion, but deemed impractical. Now, it’s a reality, right up on Capitol Hill.

By CHRIS TOHER
Skanska USA

Protecting Puget Sound’s marine shorelines
Regulators and scientists are looking for a standard approach to determine ecological loss and plan for restoration.

By JIM KEANY
ESA

Is your data center as green as it can be?
With the amount of data growing day by day along with electricity costs, it’s clear that the need to improve energy efficiency will be a dominant driver in the market in the coming years.

By JOHN KOVACH
Siemens

Murky floodplain rules sink development plans
Property owners are facing more restrictive floodplain development regulations, new floodplain maps that include more land, and hefty increases in flood insurance premiums.

By MOLLY LAWRENCE
VanNess Feldman Gordon Derr

Dairies struggle to balance business and the environment
Owners have to manage nutrients to avoid water pollution, pathogen contamination and air quality issues.

By CINDY EASTERSON
Landau Associates

Lower your energy bill by 75% with a Passive House
Our present course of building to energy codes involves only minor performance improvements on a year-over-year basis. Since the building envelope, walls and windows will be in place for years, this approach creates “built in” higher operating costs.

By JOE GIAMPIETRO
NK Architects