SEATTLE—Today is Earth Day, and a new office property opening here today is part of the celebration.

The Bullitt Center is a six-story, 50,000 square foot Class A office building with no parking. In news reports across the country today, including a story on National Public Radio, the building is being hailed as one of the greenest in the world.

A grand opening program will include Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, and Denis Hayes, president and CEO of the Bullitt Foundation. Hayes was a participant in the first Earth Day event in 1970.

“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,” the foundation states on its website. The building's cost was tagged at $30 million.

To accomplish that, Bullitt and developing partner Point 32 of Seattle followed the ambitious guidelines of the Living Building Challenge, what they call the world's most strenuous benchmark for sustainability.

To reach those goals, a solar array will generate as much electricity as the building uses and rain will supply as much water, with all wastewater treated onsite. Power usage will be carefully monitored (down to each outlet) and the building's users will be encouraged to conserve their individual energy usage. The buildings design includes an elevator, but encourages the use of stairs, and glass walls and roof panels control light and shade to minimize use of electrical lighting and air HVAC systems. 

Click NPR to read the full story.