SEATTLE—Hyatt Regency Seattle, a 45-story premier meeting and event hotel located in the heart of downtown Seattle, has officially received a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council, becoming the first and only LEED Gold–certified hotel in the Seattle area. It earned LEED as part of the New Construction rating system.
“Hyatt Regency Seattle is thrilled to receive this well-deserved recognition, as we are committed to enriching the communities we call home and protecting the planet for future generations,” said General Manager Tom Wolf. “As the largest meeting and event hotel in the Pacific Northwest, we have a responsibility to lead by example and lower our carbon footprint and implementing sustainability and green business practices is key to that. We are fortunate to call this region home.”
Built by local developer R.C. Hedreen Company, in collaboration with many Seattle-based companies including Sellen Construction Group, Arup, and LMN Architects Hyatt Regency Seattle was thoughtfully created to incorporate many sustainable elements into its guest amenities and overall design, including the following:
- The installation of a light-colored roof to reduce the urban heat-island effect, augmented by having almost 90 percent of the hotel’s parking underground.
- Thirty percent more fresh air ventilation than the minimum standard amount and a mechanical system that meets industry standards for thermal comfort.
- High-efficiency operations (such as occupancy sensors, kitchen hood sensors, waste heat and high-efficiency chillers and boilers) that reduce the building’s energy usage by 26.77 percent compared to a conventional baseline building.
- The incorporation of water conservation practices across the property, including its landscaping, laundry and public areas, that reduce consumption by 33 percent.
- Regionally sourced and manufactured materials in over 20 percent of the materials used in the construction of the property (including concrete, cement, rebar and precast concrete panels), which reduces transportation greenhouse gas emissions and supports both local and regional businesses.
- Material transparency, through the selection of building products that publicly disclose their environmental impacts through environmental product declarations (EPDs) reviewed by third parties.
- The implementation of a green cleaning procurement policy that reduces hazards from cleaning products, reduces packaging waste and helps maintain indoor air quality.
‘A Strong Core Value of Ours’
“Building sustainability is a strong core value of ours and frankly in order to represent Seattle appropriately, we had to make the commitment early to achieving LEED Gold for the Hyatt Regency Seattle,” said Shauna Decker, Vice President of Design & Development for R.C. Hedreen Co.
In addition to these sustainable practices, Hyatt Regency Seattle also supports its employees’ and guests’ low-impact transit choices, including use of light rail, and provides bike parking, electric car chargers and preferred parking for fuel-efficient vehicles.
The hotel also participates in housing projects that provide affordable housing to 160 low- and moderate-income families for 50 years and in King County’s transfer of development rights (TDR) program, permanently protecting 5,285 acres of forest and five acres of local farmland. Through its participation in these programs, the hotel supports regional development goals by increasing density in existing urbanized areas while conserving forests in perpetuity and compensating landowners.
