The Madrona Offices at Mile Hill

Congratulations to member of our marketing team: Karen Swim – Words for Hire

madrona1 — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 22:48:56 +0000

Congratulations on your interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC, Karen!

http://www.facebook.com/#/notes/karen-d-swim/breaking-news/242082499110

Video: World News Tonight with Diane Sawyer – 01/08/2010

10 Things I Learned in Green Broker School – By Suzette West, ABR, EBA

madrona1 — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:32:58 +0000

“Before completing the Certified Green Broker Designation, I became involved in the Madrona Offices (formerly Mile Hill Drive), a sustainable office building project in Port Orchard led by the award-winning design team at Weber Thompson.”

Read full article.

Planned Sustainable Work Space in Port Orchard, WA Gets Front Page of Premier NW Business Paper

madrona1 — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 23:21:47 +0000

On December 30th, project team members were delighted to see the Madrona Offices at Mile Hill on the front page of the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce!

Excerpt:

“Weber Thompson got a lot of publicity for its 2008 Terry Thomas headquarters building. Now, it is taking that basic design and making it better for a LEED platinum project in Port Orchard.”

Read full article here.

The ROI of Going Green

madrona1 — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:19:42 +0000

: Image by DavidDMuir via Flickr

In a key study, Does Green Pay Off?, authors, Norm Miller, Jay Spivey and Andy Florance discuss comparative data on energy star and LEED certified buildings versus non-energy star and Non-Leed properties. The study examined varies elements and productivity including air quality, illumination, and Sick Building Syndrome.

The study concluded that healthier buildings reduce sick time and increase productivity. These two benefits directly affect an organization’s bottom line and can significantly improve the overall health of the company.

You can review the full study here.

Greener Pastures for Commercial Real Estate (blogs.wsj.com)

The Madrona Offices

madrona1 — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:34:42 +0000

: Image by Gexydaf via Flickr

The Madrona Offices designed by award winning architecture firm, Weber Thompson will feature a number of sustainable amenities including:

Building orientation and optimized glazing. This will facilitate passive solar heating and passive cooling.
Exterior-mounted, automated blinds. This will also contribute to passive cooling reducing energy costs.
Natural ventilation. No mechanical cooling.
Maximize natural daylight. The building orientation and optimized glazing will maximize natural light providing better overall lighting quality and reducing electricity costs.
High-efficiency radiant heating
Air-source heat pump . This can potentially save approximately 70% savings in heating cost, as compared to the national average heating cost
Photovoltaic system that contributes to electricity savings
Ultra low-flow plumbing fixtures can potentially result in a 50% savings in water/sewer bills
Rainwater harvesting for irrigation will reduce water bills
Green roof to assist with passive cooling and reduce rainwater runoff
Porous concrete will also reduce rainwater runoff
Low/no VOC finishes provides healthy indoor air quality
Minimal finished interior applications — reduction in overall material use
Flexible interior office space
Rooftop deck

What is a Green Building?

madrona1 — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:01:24 +0000

Green has become a widely used term, but what does it really mean to have a green building? Green building is used to describe building designs and construction that conserve the environment, resources, energy, efficiency and have healthy interior spaces. The goal is to have minimal negative impact on the environment.

Sustainability refers to meeting the present needs without compromising the future. This means using renewable sources of materials rather than non-renewable. Sustainability is measured in three interdependent dimensions: the environment, economics, and society.

Efficiency is one of the drivers of building green. Resource efficiency is achieved by using materials that are:

Renewable or natural, and plentiful.
Recycled or reusable
Utilize resource efficient processes to manufacture
Locally available
Refurbished, remanufactured or salvaged
Durable

Green buildings work in synergy with the environment. Natural daylight is maximized to reduce the use of artificial lights. Designs leverage solar heatingand passive cooling reducing the use (and costs) of heating and cooling.

Indoor air quality is enhanced by using materials that are low or non-toxic, moisture resistant and products that have minimal emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). The materials and systems are healthfully maintained by requiring simple non-toxic, or low VOC cleaning methods.

Water conservation is also a feature of green buildings. Water reclamation and reducing rainwater run off are two strategies. Reducing water consumption is another key strategy of green buildings.

Contact us to learn about green building design and the sustainable strategies and amenities of The Madrona Offices.