'World's Greenest Commercial Building' Opening April 22
The grand opening ceremony for Seattle's Bullitt Center is set for Earth Day 2013.
The Bullitt Center, a six-story, 50,000-square-foot commercial building in Seattle, is officially opening on April 22, Earth Day, a fitting occasion given that its developers claim it will be the greenest commercial building in the world.
Bullitt Center has been designed to be energy and carbon neutral, with a large solar panel array on its roof, geothermal wells below ground that will help to heat the building in winter, a high-capacity rainwater collection system, and all of the building's wastewater treated on site.
"The goal of the Bullitt Center is to change the way buildings are designed, built and operated to improve long-term environmental performance and promote broader implementation of energy efficiency, renewable energy and other green building technologies in the Northwest," according to information available on the building's website, which says the building "features operable floor-to-ceiling windows that provide expansive views of the downtown skyline and surrounding neighborhood, and maximize natural daylight and fresh air to each floor." It was built from toxic-free materials and features an "irresistible" circular stairway, according to the Bullitt Foundation.