Research & Communications Category

Functional Landscapes - Assessing Elements of Seattle's Green Factor - MERIT AWARD & PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD
The Berger Partnership PS

Project Description:
This research project was created as an internship project and tool to graphically articulate the benefits of Green Factor to clients and design partners. Green Factor is the nation's first code enforced program that requires green strategies for a planning permit. The program was introduced through the City of Seattle's Department of Planning and Development in 2007. It is modeled after the Berlin Biotope Area Factor in Berlin, Germany, and green programs in Malmo, Sweden.

Green Factor offers a menu of green strategies that can be tailored to each project. It pushes designers/owners to incorporate their approach toward green design early in the design process. As urban density increases, Green Factor will serve as a tool to offset the resulting negative impacts, such as the heat island effect, and it will maintain livability by creating green spaces that improve aesthetics and provide ecological function.

Calculations for Green Factor are based on the percentage of vegetative cover to the total square footage of the site. Elements are weighted based on their ecological benefit. Green Factor is currently required in commercial zones with an equivalent of 30% vegetative cover. In 2010, it will include mid-rise/high-rise multi-family residential zones to provide the equivalent of 60% vegetative cover. Requirements are expected to expand to different project types and areas each year.

The report graphically conveys a clear understanding of how Green Factor's low impact strategies work, the associated costs and benefits of each element, and how they best apply to specific projects. This allows us to engage our clients and fellow design professionals in a thoughtful approach to identifying and exceeding Green Factor requirements. It was also adopted by the Department of Planning and Development as a communication tool, available on their website, for consultants and designers throughout the city to view and reference.

Jury Comments:
Modeled on German and Swedish prototypes, Seattle's Green Factor is the nation's first code enforced program that requires green strategies to acquire a planning permit. Such an innovation requires its users to be educated in its practice and understand its potential. Functional Landscape is such a tool. It is impressive for two main reasons. The information is presented in an engaging, comprehensible graphic format, easily understood by the design professionals who will be the predominant users. Secondly, it is an educational tool, explaining terminology and the technical parameters behind the system's scoring criteria. As such it is not only a tool for evaluation of Seattle's Green Factor, it can also function as a catalyst to improved practice in sustainable design.