The engineering firm McKinstry, in partnership with energy provider Avista, has been a driving force behind the development and construction of what is being touted as one of the biggest zero-energy, zero-carbon facilities in the world.
Catalyst is a five-story 159,000-sf anchor building for a planned innovation center that will connect—via the under-construction Gateway Bridge—to the University District in Spokane, Wash. Catalyst’s construction includes 4,000 cubic meters (141,200 cubic feet) of cross-laminated timber and glulam products, which would store an estimated 3,713 metric tons of carbon dioxide and avoid 1,437 metric tons of carbon emissions. That would be the equivalent of taking 1,100 cars off the road for a year.
The McKinstry-Avista partnership is called South Landing Investors LLC, which is this project’s primary investor. McKinstry is the project’s developer and is providing design-build services. Katerra, Catalyst’s general contractor, is sourcing the engineered wood from its new Spokane Valley CLT factory. Katerra’s Michael Green Architecture designed the building. KPFF is its structural engineer.
McKinstry—which is also handling the mechanical, plumbing, fire protection, and electrical engineering—is working with the Living Future Institute to validate Catalyst’s zero-energy status. As currently designed, no fossil fuels will be combusted on site, with additional carbon sequestration efforts in play to offset emissions from natural gas ovens and other end-user appliances.
Eastern Washington University is leasing 57,000 sf to move its STEM program into Catalyst. Image: McKiinstry
Catalyst is on track to open in April 2020. It will monitor its operational efficiency via smart building management systems, thousands of IoT sensors, and data visualization driven by machine learning and artificial intelligence. The entire hub is also being developed to be delivered at market cost to ensure that it creates a replicable model. (An Avista spokesperson told the Spokane Spokesman-Review last year that Catalyst’s construction would cost more than $50 million.)
The building would be the first in eastern Washington to be net-zero ready. Its main tenant will be Eastern Washington University, which is leasing 57,000 sf to accommodate three programs—computer science, electrical engineering, and visual communication design—that EWU is moving to Spokane from its College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in Cheney, Wash. STEM is the university’s fastest-growing curriculum.
That move will include 50 faculty members and 1,000 students. Within Catalyst, EWU will offer dry labs and modern, high-tech classrooms. Space will provide immersive education opportunities via a learning, living laboratory.
Avista and Katerra will also lease office space within Catalyst, along with similar, like-minded tenants. The City of Spokane has committed $430,000 in street improvements, water services and other infrastructure for the Catalyst building.
Related Stories
| Feb 24, 2011
Perkins+Will designs 100 LEED Certified buildings
Perkins+Will announced the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification of its 100th sustainable building, marking a key milestone for the firm and for the sustainable design industry. The Vancouver-based Dockside Green Phase Two Balance project marks the firm’s 100th LEED certified building and is tied for the highest scoring LEED building worldwide with its sister project, Dockside Green Phase One.
| Feb 24, 2011
New reports chart path to net-zero-energy commercial buildings
Two new reports from the Zero Energy Commercial Buildings Consortium (CBC) on achieving net-zero-energy use in commercial buildings say that high levels of energy efficiency are the first, largest, and most important step on the way to net-zero.
| Feb 23, 2011
Financial outlook for green commercial properties is promising
Leanne Tobias, founder and managing principal of Malachite LLC, an advisory firm that specializes in the development, leasing, management, financing, and certification of sustainable or green real estate on a global basis, writes about new government policy proposals that have her cheering—and one that makes her gravely concerned.
| Feb 23, 2011
Unprecedented green building dispute could cost developer $122.3 Million
A massive 4.5 million-sf expansion of the Carousel Center shopping complex in Syracuse, N.Y., a project called Destiny USA, allegedly failed to incorporate green building components that developers had promised the federal government—including LEED certification. As a result, the project could lose its tax-exempt status, which reportedly saved developer The Pyramid Cos. $120 million, and the firm could be penalized $2.3 million by the IRS.
| Feb 23, 2011
Green building on the chopping block in House spending measure
Bryan Howard, Legislative Director of the U.S. Green Building Council, blogs about proposed GOP budget cuts that could impact green building in the commercial sector.
| Feb 22, 2011
LEED Volume Program celebrates its 500th certified Pilot Project
More than 500 building projects have certified through the LEED Volume Program since the pilot launched in 2006, according to the U.S. Green Building Council. The LEED Volume Program streamlines the certification process for high-volume property owners and managers, from commercial real estate firms, national retailers and hospitality providers, to local, state and federal governments.
| Feb 15, 2011
New 2030 Challenge to include carbon footprint of building materials and products
Architecture 2030 has just broadened the scope of its 2030 Challenge, issuing an additional challenge regarding the climate impact of building products. The 2030 Challenge for Products aims to reduce the embodied carbon (meaning the carbon emissions equivalent) of building products 50% by 2030.
| Feb 15, 2011
New Urbanist Andrés Duany: We need a LEED Brown rating
Andrés Duany advocates a "LEED Brown" rating that would give contractors credit for using traditional but low cost measures that are not easy to quantify or certify. He described these steps as "the original green," and "what we did when we didn't have money." Ostensibly, LEED Brown would be in addition to the current Silver, Gold and Platinum ratings.
