Subjects › Planning › Green Building Design

Updated 01/2012

Green Communities and Building Design

Introduction
About Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™)
General Information on Green Building Design
Green Building Programs of Local and State Governments
- Washington Green Building Programs
- Green Building Programs from Other States
Green Purchasing Programs of Local Governments
Financial Incentives and Grants for LEED™ Buildings
Articles and Reports on Green Building Design
Selected MRSC Library Holdings - Green Building Design
MRSC Related Pages

Introduction

Green building practices provide an opportunity to create environmentally-sound and resource-efficient buildings through an integrated approach to design. Green communities extend the green concepts to a neighborhood or community-wide scale. Northwest communities, including King County, Seattle, and Portland, have emerged as leaders in the green communities and green building movement. A green building is a structure that is designed, built, renovated, operated, or reused in an ecological and resource-efficient manner. Green buildings are designed to meet objectives such as protecting occupant health; reducing operation and maintenance costs; using energy, water, and other resources efficiently; and reducing the overall impact to the environment. Green building design and green communities are related to the broader concepts of "smart growth" and sustainable development. "Smart growth" includes policies, regulations and strategies to encourage compact efficient development, which is sustainable and thus promotes economic viability while protecting the natural environment for future generations.

This page includes links to general information on green communities and green building design as well as to innovative green building programs of local governments in Washington and other states. If you have information to share or are aware of other websites that we should link to, please contact Carol Tobin, Planning Consultant, or call (206) 625-1300.

About Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™)

The LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. Members of the U.S. Green Building Council developed the LEED™ system. This system gives points for environmentally beneficial building attributes, with ratings from certified, silver, and gold to platinum for the highest ranked buildings. See What LEED is for a general introduction. In Seattle, any public building project of 5,000 or more square feet of occupied space must achieve a LEED Silver rating.

LEED for Neighborhood Development - The LEED for Neighborhood Development Rating System integrates the principles of smart growth, urbanism, and green building into the first national standard for neighborhood design. LEED for Neighborhood Development is a collaboration between the U.S. Green Building Council, the Congress for the New Urbanism, and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

General Information on Green Building Design and Green Communities

The following are general links to information on green building design and organizations supporting green building:

U.S. Green Building Council - Coalition of building industry leaders working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy places. U.S. Building Council's LEED™ main site.
- Tool Kit, State and Local Government (), U.S. Green Building Council, 01/2009
- LEED Policy and Government Resources - Includes LEED initiatives such as policies and incentives from state and local government, fact sheets, and policy briefs
- Local Governments and LEED for Neighborhood Development - 2011 publication and presentation
Cascadia Region Green Building Council - Northwest chapter of the Green Building Council; covers Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia
Playbook for Green Buildings and Neighborhoods - Provides local governments with guidance and resources to rapidly advance green buildings, neighborhoods and infrastructure. Sponsored by a consortium of local governments, non-profit organizations, and other government agencies.
Built Green Washington - Umbrella site for all Built Green programs in Washington State. Built Green is a project of the residential construction industry. Built Green programs encourage environmentally responsible building and construction by certifying homes that meet specific criteria. Thirty Washington counties are currently served by the eleven Built Green programs linked from this site.
APA Green Communities Research Center - Planning for sustainable communities
NACo Green Government Initiative - Comprehensive resource for local governments on all things green, including energy, air quality, transportation, water quality, land use, purchasing and recycling
U.S. EPA Green Building - Addresses energy efficiency and renewables and green building materials
U.S. EPA Green Communities - Includes 5-step environmental planning framework
National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), Green Building ToolBase Services. ToolBase Services is the housing industry's resource for technical information on building products, materials, new technologies, business management, and housing systems. Provided by the NAHB Research Center
Natural Resources Defense Council, Green Building
Global Green USA, Green Building Cities and Schools - Encourages partnerships to foster sustainability in urban environments
Green Building Pages - Sustainable building materials database and design tool
Green Infrastructure.net, The Conservation Fund - Strategic assessments, training, and publications
Preservation Green Lab, National Trust for Historic Preservation - Emphasis on preserving older and historic buildings sustainably
Sustain Lane - Rankings of Cities for Green Building
Sustainable Connections, Green Building Resources - Nonprofit organization based in Bellingham

Green Communities and Building Programs of Local and State Governments

These are links to specific governmental green building programs, policies, and documents.

Washington Green Building Programs

Seattle

Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment and Green Building
Seattle Department of Planning and Development, City Green Building - Includes links to policy, case studies, resources and more. See also Priority Green - Program for expediting green construction projects
Green Building Glossary, Seattle Department of Planning and Development
Seattle Sustainable Building Policy ()
Seattle Green Factor - A landscape requirement designed to increase the quantity and quality of planted areas while allowing flexibility to meet development standards
Energy Benchmarking and Reporting - Office of Sustainability and Environment

King County

King County Green Tools - A resource for green building information ranging from case studies to technical references
King County Green Building & Low Impact Development, Customer Information Bulletin 55, 09/2009 ()
Green Globe Award - Environmental award presented by King County every two years

State

ESSB 5509, Chapter 12, Laws of 2005 () - This law requires LEED™ silver certification for projects funded in the state capital budget. This requirement applies to projects larger than 5,000 gross square feet of space and affects any entity, including public agencies and public school districts, that receives state funds for construction. Certain types of facilities, including affordable housing, are exempted from the LEED™ standards.
Washington State Department of Ecology, Green Building - Includes general information and innovative green building techniques and regional information on green building resources and organizations.
Washington State Department of General Administration, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™)
Washington State Department of Commerce
- Evergreen Sustainable Building Standard - Green building criteria required for any affordable housing project applying for state funds through the Washington State Housing Trust Fund
- High Performance Building Guidelines.

Other Washington Jurisdictions

Anacortes Resolution No. 1752, 01/2008 - Promotes the use of LEED standards in the construction of buildings
Bellingham Green Actions and Resolutions - Includes Sustainability Report and City Green Teams
- Bellingham Green Building
Kirkland
- Kirkland Green
- Kirkland Green Building
Edmonds Resolution No. 1168 (), 04/2008 - Sustainable building policy
Everett Ordinance No. 2995-07 () - Sustainable building and infrastructure policy
Issaquah zHome, Issaquah Green Building Demonstration Project
Mercer Island - Building Green
Redmond Green Building Program - Residential Green Permitting Pilot Program
Shoreline Green Building Resources
Tacoma EnviroHouse - Permanent green model home
Whatcom County Green Building

Green Building Programs from Other States

Austin, TX Energy Green Building Program and "Green by Design: 7 Steps to Green Building" ()
Chicago, IL Center for Green Technology
Santa Barbara County, CA, Green Building Guidelines, 10/2001 ()
Santa Monica, CA Green Building Program - One of the first jurisdictions to adopt green building requirements for private development projects
Scottsdale, AZ Green Building Program.

Green Purchasing Programs of Local Governments

U.S. Communities Going Green Program - One-stop source for public agency access to a broad line of responsible purchasing products, services, and resources
Bellingham Resolution No. 2007-05 () - Environmentally preferable purchasing program
Clark County – Environmentally Responsible Purchasing
King County Environmental Purchasing Program
Resource Venture, Green Business Solutions, Seattle Public Utilities - Rebates and incentives available to Seattle businesses toward purchase of efficient products
Seattle Green Purchasing Program

Incentives and Grants for Green Buildings

Some communities with green building programs provide financial incentives for LEED™-certified buildings and green building projects. There are a few special grant programs available for green buildings and sustainable projects. King County, Seattle, and Portland offer LEED™ financial incentives for private commercial and multifamily residential projects. Other types of incentives, such as density bonuses and expedited permit processing, are also common.

Enterprise Green Communities, The Enterprise Foundation and partners - Grants, loans, and technical assistance to projects that meet Green Communities criteria for affordable housing
Green Building Finance Consortium - Group of corporations, real estate companies, and trade groups who have joined together to address the need for independent research and analysis of investment in green or energy-efficient buildings
Built Green Grants - Grants for innovative green building projects in Seattle and King County
King County Green Building Incentives and Grants - Grants for commercial and residential green building projects
Seattle City Green Building Incentives and Assistance

Land Use Incentives and Density Bonuses

Bellevue Land Use Code Part 20.30D - Planned Unit Development (see Section 20.30D.160(B) - Built Green certification a conservation design factor)
Everett Zoning Code Section 22.020(E)(1)(i) - Bonus design element, LEED silver rating
Newcastle Municipal Code Section 18.36.040(E)(6) Green Building FAR incentive
Redmond Zoning Code Section 21.08.330 Green Building and Green Infrastructure Incentive Program
Seattle City Green Building Development Incentives - Density bonus incentive for downtown buildings

Articles and Reports on Green Building Design

Best Practices, Green Building, Report # 9, Foundation for Community Association Research, 2009
“Building Green: Onus or Bonus,” () Zoning News, 04/2005 - Chart of jurisdictions listing green building requirements and programs
“A Cautionary Tale, Amid our green-building boom, why neglecting the old in favor of the new just might cost us dearly,” by Wayne Curtis, Preservation Magazine, Jan./Feb. 2008
"The Costs and Financial Benefits of Green Buildings: A Report to California's Sustainable Building Task Force," () 10/2003
"Green on Buildings: The Effects of Municipal Policy on Green Building Designations in America’s Central Cities," () by Eugene Choi, JOSRE, Vol. 2, No. 1, 2010
“How Green is Your Neighborhood," by Bryan Walsh, Time, Wednesday, 12/19/2007
“It's Way Too Easy Being Green, The decidedly dupable system for rating a building's greenness,” by Daniel Brook, Slate, Posted Wednesday, 12/26/2007

Selected MRSC Library Holdings - Green Building Design

Selected MRSC Library Holdings - Green Building Design [Note: Clicking on this link will take you to a list of documents available on loan through the MRSC library.]