'Green' Architects Leave Air Conditioning out of Their New Headquarters
Latest office feature: fresh air
By Jeanne Lang Jones, Staff Writer
Puget Sound Business Journal
February 9, 2007
Seattle's first office building to be built without air conditioning in nearly 50 years is expected to break ground Feb. 9 in South Lake Union.
The four-story, 40,000-square-foot building will be the new headquarters for Weber + Thompson LLC. The Seattle architecture firm says it's just following its own advice about energy-efficient "green" design.
"If we talk the talk trying to convince our clients to look at sustainability in design, we certainly have to do it as well," founding principal Scott Thompson said.
Weber + Thompson's new, $10.2 million headquarters will use passive cooling to consume 30 percent less energy than a traditional air-conditioned office building, he said.
Located on the northeast corner of Terry Avenue and Thomas Street, the building will have exterior sunshades on its east and west sides and a heat-reflecting coating on the roof to keep offices cooler during the summer. Thompson said he used the same roof coating on his own home and noticed his house stays 5 to 10 degrees cooler on the hottest days. Having the sunscreens outside the building blocks heat from penetrating the interior, he said.
Cross-ventilation and natural light will be promoted by wrapping the building around a central courtyard and keeping floors to a width of 35 feet. Operable windows also will give staffers better control over temperatures at their own work spaces. Additionally, carbon dioxide sensors will automatically open louvers in the building's exterior walls when the air needs to be freshened.
Thompson believes better access to fresh air and natural light will reduce staff illnesses and improve productivity.
The firm expects there will be fewer than 20 hours a year when temperatures inside the building climb above 80 degrees, thanks to its design.
During colder months, the building will be heated by hot-water radiators.
"This is one of the few areas of the country where you can actually get away with doing a building like this because of the low humidity and the temperate climate," Thompson said.
The architecture firm will occupy 25,000 square feet in the building with an unrelated firm, Weber Marketing, occupying 6,000 square feet. Broker Stephen Grey of Stephen C. Grey & Associates represented the parties in the leasing transaction.
When it's completed in early 2008, Weber + Thompson's new headquarters building is expected to get a Gold LEED certification, the second highest available under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.
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