DNRP > SWD > Facilities > Bow Lake Renovation Project > LEED™

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™)

The LEED™ Green Building Rating System™ recognizes environmental leadership in the building industry. It is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings.

LEED™ emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. Projects can obtain various levels of certification - Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum - based on a point rating system. The goal of the Bow Lake Transfer and Recycling Station renovation project is to attain a LEED™ Silver rating, which would make it the Solid Waste Division's second LEED certified transfer station.

Some of the sustainable features to be incorporated in the Bow Lake project include:

• Passive ventilation
• Natural daylighting
• Rainwater harvesting
• Water efficient landscaping
• Recycled content building materials
• Mitigation of old landfilled areas
• Restoration of stream buffers on the adjacent property to be purchased for the new station

These features are consistent with the division's environmental focus and with King County's "Green Building Initiative" that promotes the use of environmentally responsible construction practices in all buildings the County constructs, remodels and renovates. The green building practices applied to this project are also expected to result in lower life cycle costs than in more conventional building designs.

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