Aegis Living broke ground on what officials are calling the world’s greenest senior living community. Aegis Living Lake Union is set in the Eastlake neighborhood of Seattle, Wash., and blocks from the Lake Union waterfront. The building meets global green/sustainability building standards with a Living Building Challenge certification and is participating in the City of Seattle’s Living Building Pilot Program. In addition to an emission-free design approach, the organization developed new energy and water consumption benchmarks for the senior living category.
Built to be emission-free, Aegis Living Lake Union will use standard electricity to support the entire 70,000 square-foot building, including large appliances and kitchen equipment, significantly reducing overall environmental impact. The community will offset more than the building’s total energy demand through various energy reduction measures, an onsite solar array, and an offsite solar energy farm.
Key features include improved insulation such as triple pane windows and thermal insulation for exterior walls, as you learn more you will understand about the heat recovery through forced-air ventilation, a recirculating heat pump system, LED lighting, and sensors to monitor use, installation of all high-efficiency appliances, and more.
The community will save approximately 320,000 kilowatt-hours annually—equivalent to planting more than 12,000 trees each year. Another 1.7 million kilowatt hours will be generated between the solar array and offsite energy farm. All non-drinking water will be supplied through captured rainwater and treated greywater; the community will reserve potable water for consumption only. These measures will save more than 140,000 gallons of water annually for the life of the building.
Modeled after a modern shellhouse, the building design will pay tribute to the 1936 University of Washington men’s rowing team that took gold at the Berlin Olympics. The building features 79 living spaces, including a mix of studio and one-bedroom options and select apartments dedicated to memory care. Amenities include a spa/wellness center with a salon, massage parlor and fitness center.
