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Watershed

Watershed

Seattle, WA

Watershed is a 7-story, 72,000 square foot commercial office building, and the third project to pursue the Seattle Living Building Pilot Program (LBPP). Kristen Scott, Managing Partner of the multi-disciplinary firm Weber Thompson and the Senior Principal In Charge of the project, led the architectural design for this boutique deep green building completed in Spring 2020. Weber Thompson also provided Landscape Architecture services for the project. 
 

Located in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, the self-proclaimed center of the universe, the building sits in a thriving cultural hub with vibrant pedestrian traffic. One of its foremost challenges was to help clean the thousands of gallons of toxic stormwater from the neighboring historic Aurora Bridge (built in the 1930s) whose runoff water settles into the salmon-rich Lake Union. To solve this, Weber Thompson diverted water through biofiltration swales in the public right of way. Each year, this design helps clean up to 400,000 gallons of run-off water from the bridge before it reaches Lake Union. Also, about 200,000 gallons of Watershed’s roof water is collected and reused on site for toilet flushing and as irrigation water in the landscape. 


 

In addition to stormwater reuse and potable water reduction, supplemental energy reduction targets were of major importance and required by the City of Seattle to participate in the LBPP. Watershed is pursuing Petal Recognition from the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) focusing on the Materials, Beauty and Place Petals. As such, the building uses about 25% less energy than a code-compliant building, with a target EUI of 34 kBTU/sf/year. As part of the Materials Petal, the building supports a materials economy that is nontoxic, transparent and socially equitable. 

Tornado photo

Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope® (OBE) worked in close collaboration with the design and install teams to ensure the building envelope flawlessly united the energy and general sustainability goals with the design vision of Weber Thompson. 
 

The architectural curtain wall utilized a combination of Relianceâ„¢ Unit Wall unitized solution and Relianceâ„¢ TC. The podium of the building, which includes 5,000 square feet of retail space, incorporated OBE’s Series 3000 Thermal Multiplane storefront and MS-375 Thermal Composite Doors for the entrances. These products created a beautiful frame that allows building occupants to take in the expansive views and leverage the benefits of daylighting while also providing optimal thermal performance. 
 

In all, the building design and sustainability targets were achieved without sacrificing a beautiful workspace. Watershed’s glazing solutions integrate the beauty of the outdoors, daylight, and sweeping views with aspirations to improve the environment. This approach appeals to the modern millennial workforce by promoting collaboration, driving productivity, and creating a sense of pride in protecting our future. 

 

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