Vert Build has selected a site for construction for what will be one of Seattle’s first single family residential LEED certified homes. We chose the site carefully, based on not only aesthetic reasons, but also in an effort to conform to LEED criteria for site selection.
LEED specifically states that lands must not be developed on six specific types of land:
• Prime farmland
• Previously undeveloped land lower than 5 feet above the elevation of the 100-year flood as defined by FEMA
• Land that provides habitat to any species on Federal or State threatened or endangered lists
• Within 100 feet of any wetlands
• Previously undeveloped land within 50 feet of a body of water
• Land which was prior to the acquisition for the project was public parkland
By conforming to the LEED site selection criteria we have taken the first step–perhaps even the most important–by not decreasing the supply of wetlands and other natural habitats. After all, it stands to reason that choosing a sustainable building, begins with choosing a sustainable site.
