Sustainable Sites
Water Efficiency
Energy and Atmosphere
Materials and Resources
Indoor Environmental Quality
Sustainable Sites
The Terry Thomas is in a great urban location. Smack in the middle of Seattle's emerging South Lake Union neighborhood – a hive of revitalization – The Terry Thomas is across the street from the new Amazon campus and two blocks from 2200 Westlake, a three tower, mixed-use development anchored by a Whole Foods. Skillet Street Food, the mobile gourmet food company serves breakfast and lunch from its Airstream next to the building every Wednesday. The building looks out on Thomas Street to the north and Terry Avenue to the east. An existing building abuts to the south and there is an alley to the east.
All forms of transportation run nearby, encouraging employees to leave their car at home. The sleek new SLU streetcar runs right along the north side of the building along Thomas Street and stops around the corner. A pedestrian walkway is being planned along Terry Avenue to connect Denny to the new South Lake Union Park. With the building's central active location, Terry Thomas employees will be encouraged to bike to work. Bike storage and showers are made available to employees; as is priority parking for low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles.
The site has a rich history. The former building – a light industrial warehouse was used as a practice space for one of Seattle's defining bands – Pearl Jam. Unfortunately the building would have had to be virtually rebuilt to meet current codes, so it was demolished, with 93% of the materials were salvaged (or in the case of the bricks – taken by adoring fans).
Water Efficiency
Even with our heavy rain reputation, The Terry Thomas was designed to conserve water as much as possible. To this end, a storm water drainage system was designed to detain runoff into an on-site tank, then slowly release it to the city storm water system. Low-flow fixtures and waterless urinals (which our janitorial service assures us will work great) will save approximately 30% water during everyday operation.
Energy and Atmosphere
A main goal of The Terry Thomas is to reduce its energy use by 30% from that of a typical office building with conventional air conditioning. The building is on track for this, through the intricate intertwining of numerous design strategies.
The Terry Thomas marks the city's first modern office building without mechanical air conditioning. Our area's mild climate makes it ideal for a passively cooled building; (actually you could make it work in Arizona! There are swamp coolers)
Passive cooling is only achieved through several design strategies working in concert to enhance ventilation and reduce solar gain. Before the design started we asked our employees what they wanted in a new office space. Operable windows were the most requested features. This dovetailed perfectly with natural ventilation which is enhanced by automated louvers, high ceilings, a shallow floor plate, and a central court that acts as a chimney, drawing the warmer air through the floor and up through the courtyard. Exterior shading devices (we call them sunglasses) protects occupants from significant solar heat gains and a white roof keeps the upper floors cool as well as reduces the urban heat island effect. Every exterior wall is treated differently, according to its micro-climate and sun exposure.
After performing thermal and natural ventilation computer modeling, the engineers at Stantec determined that there will only be 18-20 hours when the temperature will climb above 80 degrees. Employees have been assured that they can wear shorts during those hours.
Eliminating a traditional HVAC system contributes significantly to energy savings through both its ongoing operation and during initial construction. As part of this energy reduction, the designers increased thermal insulation. Heating will be provided by highly efficient hydronic radiators placed along exterior walls; this allows for individual temperature control.
Another request by employees, and a driving force in the building's design is daylighting. Shallow floor plate depths and high ceilings allow natural light to penetrate the interior of the offices from both the exterior of the building and the core open-air courtyard. Daylighting models were tested at the Integrated Design Lab to ensure even lighting without glare to users working on computers. Within the bulk of the building, daylight sensors are on all lighting within 15 feet of the windows and energy star equipment is provided to reduce the plug load.
Finally, only one (energy efficient) elevator was integrated into the building. Use of the stairs by employees is encouraged by a prominent and accessible staircase in the courtyard; while the elevator is located past the courtyard.
Materials and Resources
93% of the existing, two-story building was recycled or salvaged for any reusable materials and components, especially the existing brick and heavy timber; and 98.8% of the construction waste was recycled. This was achieved through careful planning, separation of waste and, most significantly, through the expertise and experience of the general contractor.
In turn, The Terry Thomas is constructed with recycled steel, aluminum and fly ash concrete. The windows and storefront are locally manufactured, as is the metal exterior cladding. Within the building, the exposed structure of the building minimizes the use of additional finish materials. Castellated beams were integrated into the design to reduce the quantity of steel and encourage air movement.
Indoor Environmental Quality
Healthy inhabitants are a goal of The Terry Thomas. This is achieved by providing a dignified, productive environment for its inhabitants and putting their health and well-being at the highest priority. Natural lighting and ventilation, low emitting materials, and thermal comfort and lighting controls all work together to achieve this important goal. The operable windows, sunshades and perimeter radiant heating allow individuals or small clusters of people to control the temperature of their space. The design of the building and window layout maximizes the available natural light reducing the need for overhead lighting in work areas. Good indoor air quality was of paramount importance to Weber Thompson as the main occupant of the building. Low-emitting materials such as low-VOC paints, adhesives and carpets were specified to minimize the impact of off gassing on the air quality. Operationally, a recycling program is mandatory and tenants are committed to use recycled and environmentally friendly products in their daily operations and cleaning. A green features building operations manual and a tenant manual will be developed for all tenants. The chosen janitorial staff is one experienced in working in LEED buildings, and will continue the sustainable mission of the building.