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History in the (Re)Making: NEEA’s BetterBricks Hosts In-Person Tour of Groundbreaking Metropole Project

Market Sectors
Commercial + Industrial|Commercial Buildings|Heating and Cooling

Joined by the University of Washington Integrated Design Lab (UW IDL), NEEA’s BetterBricks initiative hosted an in-person building tour of the Metropole — a set of 19th-century buildings reimagined as a vibrant, sustainable hub for community, culture and collaboration. Driven by ambitious environmental goals, the buildings in Seattle’s iconic Pioneer Square neighborhood feature a variety of leading energy-saving solutions, including very high efficiency dedicated outside air systems (DOAS), the commercial building HVAC solution vetted and backed by NEEA’s High-Performance HVAC program. With a whole-building approach to building renewal, the Metropole project demonstrates how proven efficiency solutions can work together to achieve even deeper efficiency than individual upgrades can on their own.  

An In-Depth Tour of Integrated Building Design

Funded by the Satterberg Foundation, the Metropole stands as a leading example of deep building integration across design disciplines. By employing a whole-building approach, the project team achieved exceptional performance by aligning their architectural vision with advanced engineering strategies and energy efficiency solutions proven to work for Northwest buildings. The Metropole met each of its goals, including efficient performance on track for LEED Platinum certification, historic preservation and indoor comfort by employing a variety of techniques and technologies, including:

  • A high-performance envelope that balances daylighting, thermal comfort, and reuse of existing building elements.
  • High-performance HVAC systems designed for energy efficiency and occupant comfort, including high-efficiency energy recovery ventilators, decoupled heating and cooling and air-source heat pumps.
  • Luminaire level lighting controls, including occupancy sensors to reduce energy use in offices, hallways and stairwells.

The Latest Northwest Proof Point for Very High Efficiency DOAS

The Metropole joined the growing list of Northwest commercial buildings that have adopted the very high efficiency DOAS approach to HVAC design. By combining the most efficient HVAC equipment with key design principles, very high efficiency DOAS is proven to reduce HVAC energy use for Northwest commercial buildings by an average of 69% when compared to a code-minimum system. Beyond saving energy and operational costs, very high efficiency DOAS uses fresh and filtered air with little-to-no recirculation to reduce viral risk and create safe, healthy and comfortable indoor spaces.

Outdoor heat pumps
High-efficiency energy recovery ventilation system

A Celebration of Commercial Building Efficiency and Innovation

BetterBricks and the UW IDL were thrilled to welcome 35 architects, engineers and property managers on the Metropole tour. In addition to NEEA and UW IDL staff, the tour featured the project’s architect, engineer and building owner along with the HVAC manufacturer and distributor to answer questions about the very high efficiency DOAS configuration. With a positive reception and a long waitlist of industry professionals, a second Metropole building tour is planned in December to accommodate the strong interest in this pioneering project.

Visit betterbricks.com/vhedoas to learn more about the features, benefits, and specifications of very high efficiency DOAS.