On track to be the world's first assisted living community to earn Living Building Challenge Petal certification
A building designed to give back more than it takes — in energy, water, materials, and the health of the people who live there.
The most rigorous green building standard in the world
Where most certifications measure how much less harm a building does, the Living Building Challenge measures how much a building gives back. There are seven performance areas, or “petals” — water, energy, materials, health, equity, beauty, and place. To earn certification, a project has to prove it’s meeting those standards in real-world operation, not just on paper.
Áegis Living partnered with Ankrom Moisan, PAE, Biohabitats, and a coalition of Seattle-area engineers and builders to bring that standard to senior living for the first time anywhere in the world, right here at Lake Union.
What giving back looks like at Lake Union
- 1stAssisted living community on track for Petal certification
A world first
- 25%Less energy — built in
Passive, active, and renewable systems working together
- 84kWRooftop solar array
With on-site battery back-up for added resiliency
Built to use 25% less energy
Every unit is fitted with an individual VRF fan coil, backed by centralized heat recovery, so residents get personal climate control without wasting energy building-wide.
On the roof, an 84kW solar array. On site, battery back-up for added resiliency.
Passive, active, and renewable — working together
- Passive
- Super-insulated walls
- Triple-glazed windows
- Passive house detailing
- Active
- Individual VRF fan coils in every unit
- Heat-pump domestic hot water
- Wastewater heat exchanger
- Energy recovery ventilation (ERV)
- All-LED fixtures
- Renewable
- 84kW rooftop solar array
- On-site battery back-up for added resiliency
Recycled water, year-round
Graywater and rainwater are collected, treated, and reused on site — a first for a residential building of this kind. Reusing water on site reduces the need for a large storage cistern while still providing recycled water year-round for irrigation and non-potable use.
That recycled water irrigates the community's landscaping.
Rooted in the neighborhood it calls home
Every material in the building was screened against the Living Building Challenge Red List, avoiding the worst-in-class chemicals common in construction.
Design details connect the building to the history and character of its Lake Union site — including a salvaged rowing shell suspended in the lobby, a nod to the neighborhood's boatbuilding and rowing heritage.
Healthy inside, greener outside
- Red List–free
Red List–free material selections throughout the building.
- Rooftop gardens
Rooftop gardens reduce the urban heat island effect and manage stormwater on site.
- Nature in daily life
A calming waterfall and golden maple tree bring nature into daily life for residents.
Rooftop gardens, courtyards, and the solar array
See it for yourself at Áegis Living Lake Union
Tour the community in Eastlake and see the rooftop gardens, the salvaged rowing shell in the lobby, and the terraces overlooking Lake Union. Pick a day and time below.