LEED Rated Buildings in Seattle: Analysis of Credits and Measures

Most owners view their LEED plaque as the culmination of the LEED process - once it's completed, they pay little attention to the documentation used to prepare the application. But this documentation contains a wealth of information for anyone who manages a large cohort of buildings or who delivers sustainability programs meant to serve them. In an attempt to better understand the sustainable features beuing implemented, the City of Seattle engaged Paladino and Company to conduct an ongoing study of LEED-rated buildings within its city limits. The initial study "mined" the LEED documentation for the 15 LEED buildings constructed in Seattle before September, 2005. It developed profiles of the water, energy and solid waste measures they incorporated and culminated in the report titled, "LEED Rated buildings in Seattle: Analysis & Projections" (December 2005). This current report extends the initial study to include the buildings rated between September 2005 and September 2007. The analyses presented in this study were conducted with all of the 25 LEED rated buildings in Seattle, including the 15 buildings in the first study.

As of September 2007, there are 25 LEED rated projects within the Seattle city limits and over 100 projects registered for certification. The objectiove of this study is to evaluate the impacts of these innovative new buildings on the City's infrastructure and resources.

The City of Seattle CITY Green Building Program is interested in tracking the projected savings for LEED credits that impact the City utilities and the City sustainability goals. The goals of the study are to:

• Understand the LEED credit performance of Seattle buildings relative to the national average credit achievement
• Identify the most commonly implemented sustainable design strategies
• Identify sustainability opportunities that are not currently being aggressively addressed by Seattle buildings. This information may then be used to shape future City programs.

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