Combining historical fabric with proven technologies can often pave a fast route to sustainability. Alley 24, a new mixed-use development in Seattle, preserves three brick factory structures, adapting and expanding them into distinctive, high-performance buildings.
 
For the project, architects NBBJ incorporated a range of sustainable-design solutions to enhance indoor environmental quality, including a system of automated Nysan external Venetian blinds. According to solar control experts Pacific Shading Systems, who installed the blinds, "the key to this external system is that it blocks solar energy before it enters the building. This results in significantly better performance than comparable internal systems."
 
By reusing the industrial shells, the developer -- Paul Allen's Vulcan Group -- connected closely with the community and with local history. By focusing on the tenant, resident and shopping experiences in this new mixed-use enclave, NBBJ made solar control and daylighting a marketable attraction that Vulcan could take to the bank.
 
The approach also yielded a successful formula for making cities better and greener. Although Seattle ranks among the most environmentally advanced U.S. localities, Alley 24 is the city's first mixed-use project that with certification for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) by the U.S. Green Building Council, which verifies high environmental performance. This achievement helps demonstrate the viability of green vision in the commercial sector.
 
GREEN VISION - Having publicly committed to sustainable development, Paul Allen and Vulcan naturally considered recycling existing buildings. Using the slogan, "Rethink Urban," the developer engaged local architect NBBJ to plan and design the adaptive reuse as part of the fast-growing South Lake Union development, with hotels, condominiums, and retail.
 
The site contained the three brick shells of the former New Richmond Laundry, built between 1923 and 1945. Designated city landmarks in 2003, the timeworn masonry offered attractive surroundings for new office and residential blocks made of harmonious yet distinctive materials. These vintage and contemporary accents would intertwine in a complex of four six-story buildings totaling 362,500 square feet. The offices, street-level stores, and 172 apartments would be accessed by main streets but also by two alleys, to be active and open, day or night.
 
Inside, the new and renovated spaces would offer comfortable, inspiring environments to tenants. Access to fresh air, light, and outdoor views would drive the layout.
 
GREEN COMPONENTS AND PROCESSES - The design team envisioned a mix of uses to encourage walking and outdoor activity 24 hours a day, as the name Alley 24 suggests. Lending a European air -- as well as ventilation and light deep into the complex -- the alleyway and "through-block" connection bisect the site, intersecting at a broad pedestrian walkway recollecting Seattle's Post Alley in nearby Pike Place Market (or in any number of European village centers). At this intersection -- amid historic brick facades, canopies, stoops, and planters -- visitors find access to shops, residences, and offices.
 
The new development also incorporates sustainability with its use of high-durability, environmentally sensitive materials and structural systems. The residential buildings are faced in a rainscreen of paper-and-resin panels, while the office blocks feature grooved concrete and lots of glass.
 
For visual comfort, the architects focused on the building envelope, favoring large windows and high ceilings. Behind its durable concrete shell, the office interiors are designed for visual and physical comfort. Focusing on the building envelope, the architects detailed large operable windows and high ceilings, allowing tenants individually to control fresh air and temperature.
 
To fine-tune daylighting quality, occupants can adjust the Nysan shading system for their comfort. If left untouched, however, the shades are programmed to manage daylight automatically, with proprietary controls that control heat gain and glare while optimizing effective use of natural light. The reflector blinds also animate the architecture, changing like sundial shadows throughout the day. Outdoor sunshades also operate in response to changing conditions, further enlivening the façade.
 
The project planners incorporated other state-of-the-art green building components, including low-flow plumbing fixtures and high-efficiency electrical systems and lighting. A hybrid HVAC system lets tenants choose between natural ventilation, energy-efficient air conditioning delivered by an underfloor air plenum, or a mixture of both.
 
GREEN EFFECTS - The focus on daylight, space conditioning, and overall tenant comfort is an important green outcome for Alley 24. The resulting environments bring tenants more daylight than typical buildings in the office blocks, though the adapted factory structures constrained design options for the apartments.
 
Despite the compromises inherent to any reuse project, the developer's decision to recycle these industrial shells avoided creating tons of construction waste and eliminated the need for manufacturing new materials. More important, the adaptation connects Alley 24 closely with its community and with local history. Even the pedestrian-friendly, commerce-lined alleys enhance the city experience. This green approach makes the city a better - and greener - place to live.
 
The approach also yielded a successful formula for making cities better and greener with green mixed-use approaches. Ultimately, Alley 24's LEED rating shows the growing expertise of architects, and product manufacturers, in creating greener buildings, while also helping confirm the developer's desire to "Rethink Urban."