Sustainability

Nitze-Stagen’s Commitment to Sustainability

Nitze-Stagen is committed to making a positive contribution to Puget Sound neighborhoods through its development projects and to creating more equitable, vibrant, and sustainable communities. We are committed to the well-being of the land, the community, and our residents. We believe that an integrated design approach, in which the design of the building systems is closely integrated across multiple disciplines (site design, architecture, structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems) is the best way to implement environmentally sustainable design. We employ design and construction practices that provide our residents with healthy living environments, maximize energy efficiency, minimize the use of natural resources, and promote ecological stewardship.

If a site contains contamination, we will work with the Washington Department of Ecology to remove that contamination. Our future plans call for constructing buildings that are 100% electrified, powered not by fossil fuels but by rooftop solar panels and by Seattle’s clean energy grid.We believe that certification programs can help create a positive impact that reaches further than the individual users of the building. Recognition and documentation of a project’s achievements in environmental stewardship, building health, and social equity can allow a completed project to serve as a powerful and successful example, and may encourage other owners and developers to consider the positive impacts they can make in their own buildings and projects. For this reason, we follow through on our sustainable design goals with documentation and certification of each project with outside agencies. The five programs that we often consider are: US Green Building Council LEED Certification, Living Building Challenge, Seattle 2030 District Goals, Salmon Safe Urban Standards, Well Certification.

Our Guiding Principles for Environmental Stewardship

  • Alignment with the City and State climate goals of reducing energy use and becoming carbon neutral.
  • A simplified, small scale, and inexpensive approach to building systems and sustainability that can be widely replicated across the industry – make the project a showcase for affordable climate responsive design.
  • Straightforward, stand-alone controls and systems that are easily understandable and operated by building occupants, rather than complex controls that require trained operators.
  • Low carbon construction with focus on building materials reuse and low impact material selection.
  • Emphasis on occupant health, safety, and wellness, with focus on non-toxic materials, indoor air quality, access to daylight, and support for alternative transportation.

Our Commitment to Healthy Living Environments

  • Oversized windows provide generous natural light and are operable for natural ventilation.
  • Cabinets, trim, and similar woodwork are CARB-2 certified and contain no added urea formaldehyde (NAUF).
  • Hard surface floorings do not contain ortho-phthalate plasticizers.
  • Carpets and insulation are all Greenguard certified low VOC.
  • All paints, stains, and primers are low VOC/low-toxic formulations.
  • All interior adhesives and caulks are low VOC/low-toxic formulations.
  • All units are provided with a dedicated outdoor air supply that provides fresh air 24 hours a day.
  • Individual units are sealed and compartmentalized to prevent the migration of air from adjacent units.
  • Resiliency design for passive survivability during emergency events, with enough on-site energy generation and storage to power critical systems to provide community support during long-term power outages.

Our Commitment to Energy efficiency

  • Building operations will not utilize fossil fuels and will be powered instead by electricity from Seattle City Light, one of the greenest utilities in the country.
  • Optimization of building envelopes, built to 2015 Washington State Energy Code, to minimize air leakage and heat loss while preserving a building’s character if historic.
  • Hot water provided by heat pump technology, at 4x the energy efficiency of conventional systems.
  • Use of Passive Systems where possible, such as daylighting, natural ventilation, thermal mass with nighttime ventilation and pre-cooling.
  • Rooftop photovoltaic solar array provides renewable energy for each building’s common areas and feeds back into the electrical grid when not needed.
  • Heat recovery ventilation recaptures exhaust heat and uses it to warm incoming fresh air.
  • Low-flow WaterSense labeled plumbing fixtures.
  • High efficiency LED lighting.
  • Energy use per occupant is less than 50% of that in conventional construction.
  • Nitze-Stagen currently participates in the State’s Energy Benchmarking program at 1130 Rainier Ave S. and 660 South Industrial Way

Our Commitment to Sustainable Material Choices

  • Products and building systems are sourced from local manufacturers.
  • Construction waste is sent to a recycling facility with a 75% recycling rate.
  • Building envelopes are designed for durability, longevity, and wise use of resources.
  • A third-party envelope consultant is used to ensure proper installation.
  • Key material components are sourced from local manufacturers and suppliers.

Our Commitment to Ecological Stewardship

  • Rainwater collection from solar array and roof for on-site grey water use, to reduce reliance on potable water systems and to reduce impact on municipal storm water and sewage systems.
  • All hardscapes are permeable pavement, minimizing stormwater discharge volumes.
  • We build on brownfield sites to clean up existing environmental contamination.
  • We build on greyfield sites to revitalize under-utilized urban land.
  • We build next to transit hubs to reduce reliance on automobiles.
  • Minimal parking is provided to encourage walking, biking and mass transit use.
  • Electric Vehicle charging stations are provided in parking areas.