1916 Boren: Setting a New Standard for Sustainable Labs in Seattle

Seattle’s Life Science building, 1916 Boren, has emerged as a new kind of landmark, one that combines innovative lab design with a deep commitment to sustainability. As one of the city’s first all-electric lab buildings and a certified LEED Gold development, it demonstrates how intentional choices, ranging from material selection to advanced energy systems, can drive both performance and sustainability.

Designed by architecture firm CollinsWoerman and developed by Trammell Crow Company, the project saved 13.1% in energy costs, achieved a 41% reduction in indoor water use, and incorporated sustainable construction practices that are helping set a new standard for environmentally responsible lab design.

Achieving those outcomes required a clear sustainability roadmap, technical expertise, and collaboration across design and construction teams. As the project’s Sustainability and LEED Consultant, Brightworks Sustainability worked from the early planning stages through certification to align every opportunity, from project visioning to material specifications, with the project’s LEED Gold goal.

Setting the Path to LEED Certification

From the start, the 1916 Boren project was both high-profile in the Seattle area and an ambitious effort in sustainable design. The Brightworks team brought extensive LEED consulting expertise to guide the project’s sustainability strategy.

“Brightworks was hired with a clear goal: achieve LEED Gold,” said Kate Kelly, Senior Consultant at Brightworks. “We mapped the pathway to sustainability goals, coordinated with design consultants throughout, and managed the LEED scorecard from early design through commissioning and making sure the building was functioning the way it should. This included everything from optimizing plumbing fixtures for water savings to helping coordinate materials selections to ensure healthy, low-emitting products.” This integrated approach provided the project team with the confidence that their sustainability ambitions would be realized.

As a ground-up “core-and-shell” pursuit, Brightworks guided the sustainability strategy for the building’s structure, systems, and common spaces, paving the way for future tenants to complete their individual lab build-outs with sustainability in mind.

Pushing Performance Further

While Seattle’s location and energy code gave 1916 Boren a head start on certain LEED categories, Brightworks helped maximize every possible point.

Kayla Freischlag, Sustainability Consultant at Brightworks, said: “The team had sustainability goals in mind: lower energy costs, good ventilation as a laboratory space, efficient plumbing fixtures, and healthier materials. Our job was to quantify their strategies and help push them further. For example, we’d take the fixtures they proposed, run the LEED calculations, and then recommend alternatives that could save more water or reduce emissions.”

That push resulted in sustainable performance gains, from maximizing Sustainable Sites category credits through strategies like heat island reduction to further reductions in water and energy categories.

Building with Better Materials

One of the most notable achievements at 1916 Boren was in materials, where intentional product selection directly reduced environmental and human health impacts.

“We maxed out most of the material credits we typically go for as LEED consultants,” said Freischlag. “The project procured products that showed an embodied carbon reduction through optimized Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). They specified steel with high recycled content, which reduces the need for virgin raw material. And they pursued material ingredient disclosures, making sure products had safer chemical inventories. Finally, all low-emitting materials were specified early and installed, so paints, coatings, flooring, and insulation contributed to a healthier environment for both occupants and construction workers.”

This careful material selection aligned closely with the project team’s intent, playing a significant role in achieving LEED certification.

Innovating Energy Performance in a Lab Setting

As one of Seattle’s first all-electric lab buildings, 1916 Boren required new approaches to energy modeling and efficiency.

Anisur Rahman, Energy Analyst Lead at Brightworks, described the challenges: “When we started working on this project, an all-electric lab building plan was pretty new. These are complex buildings with heavy ventilation and simultaneous heating and cooling demands. On top of this, Seattle’s energy code is very stringent. Modeling for this type of complex project was challenging. Ultimately, we developed a strong methodology to capture all systems accurately.”

The project employed multiple strategies:

• Lighting efficiency and a ~20% reduction approved by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI).
• Advanced electric heat pumps, with significantly higher efficiency compared to standard heaters.
• Smart ventilation strategies that leveraged outside air effectively.

“This experience has really helped us refine our approach, and now we’re very comfortable modeling complex all-electric labs,” continued Rahman.

Enhancing Occupant Health and Wellness

Sustainability at 1916 Boren also extended to occupant wellness and long-term building operations. The project preserved existing trees and added landscaping for a carbon sequestration pilot credit, prioritized views to occupied spaces, and includes a locker room for bike storage to encourage active commuting.

Brightworks also authored tenant construction guidelines to ensure the project’s sustainability legacy extends to future lab build-outs. “It’s not a required credit, but it provides assurance that tenants will align with the building’s performance goals,” said Kelly. “It’s one of the ways this building will live on in its goals.”

A Collaborative Team and a Lasting Impact

As Kelly notes, the project’s success also reflects a highly engaged and committed client. “The developer was very present and attentive throughout the process. That commitment made for a collaborative, responsive team that kept sustainability goals at the forefront,” shared Kelly.

By achieving LEED Gold as one of Seattle’s first all-electric buildings, the project demonstrates that high-performance, health-focused, sustainable labs are not only possible, they are the new benchmark.

Written by Corey Hastings, Marketing Consultant
Edited for clarity by Sunni Wissmer, Market Engagement Lead, Brightworks Sustainability