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Indicator: Green Building Stock

Data and Data Discussion provided by King County DNRP

Map 2: LEED Certified Buildings

Map 1: Number of Built Green Homes in King County

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Upstream Indicators
  •   Housing AND Transportation Costs as a Percentage of Budget --- There is no on-going reporting for this indicator broken down for King County or the Central Puget Sound, though there are multiple data sources showing that the costs of transportation and housing are going up in the region. Recent hikes in gas prices indicate that these costs will continue to escalate.  (view data graph)
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Downstream Indicators
  •   Carbon Footprint --- Since 2004, the state's and King County's emissions have been on the rise. In particular, transportation related GHG emissions and total energy use in King County continue to rise.  (view data graph)
  •   Urbanization and Impervious Surface Changes --- The number of acres of urban land, clear-cut, and regenerating forest have increased in King County since 1986. Acres of grass and deciduous, mixed and coniferous forest have decreased. Acres of rural forests and privately owned working forests have declined in recent years  (view data graph)
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Related Goals

Sustainability Snapshot:

Consumer awareness and developer capabilities are on the up swing for green building. Local governments are providing support and incentives for adoption of these development practices. In the US, buildings account for about 40% of our total energy use and municipal solid waste generation and over 1/3 of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, it's estimated that most Americans spend about 90% of their time indoors, where pollutant levels may be 2-5 times higher than outdoors. Green building design and construction techniques focus on reducing a building's energy consumption, natural resource use and pollution generation while improving indoor air quality and occupant comfort.

Sustainability Trend:

The number of green buildings in all categories are increasing: LEED Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum, and BuiltGreen Homes to the 3, 4, and 5 star level in King County.

Data Discussion

The Indicator Defined

This indicator represents the number of houses and commercial buildings being built in King County that meet certain environmental standards. The standards being used are the national Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system and the local Built Green certification program. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) developed the LEED rating system to provide a benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance commercial green buildings. LEED recognizes performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

Data Interpretation/Evaluation

Green building practices are an important indicator of the resource consumption patterns of King County residents because the construction and remodeling of buildings uses many resources and the ongoing operation of buildings continues to consume resources. Additionally, buildings may have both positive and negative ongoing environmental health impacts to building occupants.

Map 1: Number of Built Green homes certified at the 3- to 5-Star levels in King County

The Built Green program is a partnership between the Master Builder's Association of King and Snohomish Counties, King and Snohomish Counties and the City of Seattle. New houses and communities building to Built Green standards must meet criteria from the program's checklist, including categories in site and water, energy efficiency, indoor air quality and material selection.

2006 Results: 3,035.

2007 Results: 1,452.

Influencing Factors: Due to the economic downturn in the housing market in 2007, the BuiltGreen Program experienced a reduced number of certifications. However, the overall program remains ahead of the original 2001 BuiltGreen business plan target of 10,000 houses certified by 2010.

Map 2: Number of buildings in King County achieving a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating

This indicator measures represent the number of commercial buildings being built in King County that meet the national Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) rating system. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) developed the LEED rating system to provide a benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance commercial green buildings. LEED recognizes performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

2007 Results: 12

Influencing Factors: Green building practices are influenced by incentives, technical assistance, increased consumer demand, and the increases in local companies and practitioners skilled in the design, construction and maintenance of high performing green buildings.

Data Source and Limitations

The data source for this indicator comes from the King County DNRP/WLR.

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