The Bullitt Center is a commercial office building located at the intersection of the Central District neighborhood and Capitol Hill in Seattle, Washington. It officially opened on Earth Day, April 22, 2013. The building was designed to be the greenest commercial building in the world and received a special award called "Living Building" from the International Living Future Institute in April 2015.
The Bullitt Center was built by the Bullitt Foundation, a non-profit organization in Seattle that focuses on urban ecology. The foundation is a tenant and occupies half of one floor in the six-story building. Other businesses, including the University of Washington, Hammer & Hand, Sonos, Intentional Futures, and PAE Consulting Engineers, occupy the remaining space. The building is completely leased.
The six-story building covers 52,000 square feet (4,800 m²) and cost $18.5 million to build, or $355 per square foot. When including land and other costs, the total price was $32.5 million. This price included "tenant ready" space, meaning it was fully prepared for use, unlike the typical "cold dark shell" spaces found in most commercial buildings.
The Bullitt Center was designed to last 250 years. In 2016, the building produced nearly 30% more energy than it needed, thanks to solar panels on its roof. This made it one of the largest "net positive" energy buildings in the world. The building uses a large solar panel system (575 panels) and energy-saving measures that reduce its energy use to about 15% of a typical office building of similar size. In 2016, the building’s energy use intensity (EUI) was 12, compared to an average of 90 or more for other commercial buildings in Seattle. Although the building is connected to the electricity grid and sometimes uses more power than it produces (especially during Seattle’s cloudy winters), it often generates enough extra energy to balance this, resulting in annual net positive energy.
Other features include a rainwater-to-potable water system that filters collected rainwater for all uses once approved by regulators. The building also has a composting toilet system, the only one of its kind on six floors.
The Bullitt Center uses advanced green construction techniques and required new solutions for technical, legal, and social challenges to achieve its high environmental standards. The building’s 250-year design made financing difficult because banks typically assume commercial buildings last only 40 years. The 52,000-gallon rainwater collection and UV purification system faced challenges with public health rules that require chlorine in drinking water. The owners are working to meet these rules using ceramic filters and chlorine. Builders also worked with suppliers to ensure materials did not contain over 360 toxic chemicals. For example, the supplier of the building’s sealant agreed to remove harmful chemicals called phthalates. The building includes social design elements, such as a real-time energy dashboard that shows energy use to encourage conservation.
Additional features include 26 geothermal wells that extend 400 feet (120 meters) underground, where the temperature stays constant at 55°F (13°C). These wells help heat the building in winter and cool it in summer. The building uses heavy timber, all of which is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), making it the first commercial building in the U.S. to earn FSC Project Certification. The building has no parking spaces, only bike racks.
The building’s elevators are hidden to encourage people to use the stairs, which are prominently placed and extend from the building’s façade, offering views of the surrounding area.