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County Program Standardizes Green Building Practices
The GreenTools program of King County, Wash. seeks to standardize green building practices that will support development but also protect and conserve natural resources.
Staffed and coordinated by its Solid Waste Division of the Department of Natural Resources and Parks, the program has provided technical assistance and policy support to county residents, businesses and agencies seeking to build green. It was recently named one of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s 2009 Top 50 Government Innovations.
 “GreenTools is our brand name for our Green Building Team,” said Beth Humphrey, project manager of the county’s GreenTools and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) programs. “We have five people who work on green buildings, including someone who works on residential, and I work mostly with the county infrastructure and buildings. King County has 39 cities, so we have people who work with them to help with their green building programs, too.”
The Green Building Team consists of representatives from county agencies, including Facilities Management, Transportation, Natural Resources and Parks, and Development and Environmental Services. They provide technical support to project teams in need of assistance in training, budget analysis and technical assistance, and encourage best practices to conserve resources, use recycled materials, maximize energy efficiency and reduce operating costs.
“We work with other organizations in the county and suburban cities,” Humphreys said. “We try to leverage what we do to distribute the information and education more broadly.”
The program began in 2001, when the County Council issued an executive order to encourage and promote green building practices in the construction and renovation of county buildings. The county decided to practice what it preached by bringing its own buildings into compliance. The Green Building Team was formed to educate and assist county agencies in green building practices. Eventually, the team branched out to collaborate with the Master Builders Association to develop a Built Green rating system for residential buildings and gained momentum after Gov. Christine Gregoire signed a bill in 2005 mandating all public buildings comply with LEED standards.
One of the ways the county has been able to encourage green building practices is by providing $20,000 to $30,000 grants for LEED-certified commercial buildings and $5,000 to $20,000 grants for Built Green-certified residential single- and multi-family homes. Commercial projects meeting LEED standards score high on sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection indoor environmental quality and innovation in design. Ratings range from 26 points for minimum certification, through 69 points at the platinum level, the highest certification in the rating system. The Built Green certification is based on a “green star” rating system, with five being the highest score possible.
The Kent Pullen Regional Communications and Emergency Coordination Center was King County’s first registered LEED project. Built in 2003, the 34,800-square-feet center is home to the county’s Office of Emergency Management and the Sheriff’s Office Communications Center.
The building consists of space for emergency coordination, training, radio and telecommunications, 911 and police dispatch, as well as administrative offices and two onsite radio towers.
According to figures from the county, the building cost $14.3 million to construct and incorporates a number of green building features, including:
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The center was built on the site of a former road construction training facility.
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Open spaces and woodlands were left undisturbed, and plants native to the area were added.
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Ponds were added to manage storm water runoff, increase infiltration and eliminate contaminants.
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Irrigation equipment used to water plants reduces the need for potable water by 50 percent.
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Energy-efficient mechanical and lighting systems use 25 percent less energy than called for by the state code; natural lighting is used in work areas to reduce need for cooling and lights, and
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Approximately 86 percent of construction and demolition waste, and 97 percent of structural steel used to build the center was recycled.
When asked if the GreenTools program has been successful, Humphreys said the numbers speak for themselves. As of this year, the program has certified more than 10,000 Built Green homes in the county, and “we have seen the number of LEED-certified buildings increase dramatically over the years,” she said.
For counties interested in developing their own green building programs, Humphreys suggested leading by example. “Counties can really lead the commercial and residential sectors by implementing green programs internally,” she said.
For more information on green building, contact Beth Humpreys at 206/296-4365.
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