LEED Platinum
5 Facilities
1,456,800 total sq. ft
LEED GOLD
6 Facilities
2,443,234 total sq. ft.
LEED Silver
1 Facility
140,000 sq. ft.
LEED Certified
1 Facility
12,800 total sq. ft.
Carbon Analysis
Our world is experiencing unprecedented amounts of carbon production. 39% of carbon emissions comes from buildings, 11% of this is embodied and 28% is operational. Construction growth is booming to keep up with the demand of our population and commerce, there is an equivalent of a New York City built every 4 days on earth. Embodied carbon represents all carbon introduced to the environment before the building is occupied and becomes operational. Materials like cement and steel are energy intensive to produce, but are the most common building materials currently used. The embodied carbon of buildings has been estimated at 500 kg/m^2 in low rise residential buildings and can be anywhere between 200-500 kg/m^2 in typical commercial construction. Interior renovations and MEP retrofits of tenant improvements have a significant impact on the overall carbon emissions over the life of a building. Analysis of carbon content and emissions highlights the importance of passive strategies in the design of buildings. JH Kelly supports carbon analysis of our projects through thoughtful design integration:
- Evaluate the necessity of active system and promote passive strategies
- Integrate renewable energy
- Review environmental product declarations (EPD’s) of equipment
- Support the owners goals for carbon reduction
The Watershed Building
The Watershed Building is pursuing Living Building Challenge Petal Certification. The seven floors of working space, totaling over 60,000 square feet, were designed to increase efficiency, reduce operational costs, integrate with the surrounding environment, and positively impact the broader community. Project highlights include bioswale and bioretention planters that organically filter stormwater run-off before it flows into nearby Lake Union, reclaimed rainwater for building water needs, and electrochromic, self-tinting window glazing.