Joseph Vance Building Renovation

The historical terra cotta Joseph Vance Building in downtown Seattle was constructed in 1929. It houses 13 floors of offices over ground floor retail with a basement for mechanical equipment and storage. Despite its age, the building’s operable windows and L-shaped layout are evidence of original sustainable design intent to encourage natural ventilation and allow ample daylight. When the building was purchased by a nationally known sustainable developer in 2005, a primary goal was to develop a comprehensive ‘greening’ strategy to take advantage of these inherent sustainability features and create a space that is healthy for occupants and the environment. This meant upgrading the structure to be green, healthy, and attractive to current and future tenants who share a commitment to preservation, stewardship of the natural environment, and healthy indoor environments. Located in a “smart growth” location for its ability to provide sustainable office space near bus and light rail lines, the Joseph Vance Building is among the first in a portfolio of investments by this developer that focus on buildings near mass transit for green renovation purposes. With these goals in mind, the candidate was a natural candidate for LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB), a newer policy-based rating system developed by the USGBC, which helped drive some of the major building retrofits. The project is currently on track to earn LEED-EB Gold certification, and earned an Energy Star score of 97 (putting it in the top 4% of its peers).