9 / 24
9
PEOPLE FLOW |
100
KONE PLAYS A PART IN
MAKING THE BULLITT
CENTER 100%
CARBON-NEUTRAL
A
six-story
office building
in Seattle,
Washington,
in the U.S., is
poised to redefine sustainable
development. When complete in
2013, Bullitt Center – the future
home of the Bullitt Foundation
and other environmentally
focused enterprises – promises
to be a net-zero water and
carbon-neutral building.
The developer’s goal is to
create the greenest commercial
building in the world. The Bullitt
could potentially be certified
as a “living building” by the
International Living Future
Institute if self-sufficiency is
achieved for one full year. That
organization’s Living Building
Challenge, widely viewed as
the toughest green building
standard, is touted as a new
benchmark in environmentally
conscious design and
construction.
KONE was selected to supply
its KONE EcoSpace elevator
with KONE EcoDisc hoisting
machinery to the building.
Utilizing a regenerative drive
system, energy generated when
the car goes into braking mode
is converted into electricity and
fed into the building’s supply
network. Energy consumed
will be further minimized by
auto-off technology that sets
the lighting and signalization to
standby mode during inactive
periods. Such KONE solutions
represent the kind of efficiency
and innovation that will help
the Bullitt Center set new
international standards – and
substantially save on the total
energy consumed compared to
traditional building systems.
•
TEXT
LESLIE MCMANUS