• Green Buildings
  • Learn
    • Leading Actions
    • Envisioning Green Buildings
    • GHG Reductions
    • Other Benefits
    • Approaches and Principles
    • Organizations
  • Plan
  • Act
Approaches and Principles
The most successful green buildings begin with a set of principles, which focus the decision-makers toward a common goal of creating a great building.
Seattle's LEED Gold rated City Hall was designed to foster citizen participation, express the spirit and values of Seattleites, and reflect the natural environment. It successfully achieves these goals by connecting people to the outdoors with natural light and views, conserving energy and water, and creating a healthy workplace.

Green Building Principles As the planning progresses, the planning teams usually align these principles with the prescriptive strategies or measurable goals detailed in established green building programs or standards.

Green building principles typically fall within categories that address buildings during all phases of development (design, construction, and operations). These categories align well with the environmental priorities and social goals of local governments.

  • Integrated Design Process
    Managing and integrating environmental, economic and social considerations in the design, construction and operation of a building is what makes a building “green”.
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