• Benjamin Benschneider

    Benjamin Benschneider

  • Benjamin Benschneider

    Benjamin Benschneider

  • Benjamin Benschneider

    Benjamin Benschneider

  • Benjamin Benschneider

    Benjamin Benschneider

  • Benjamin Benschneider

    Benjamin Benschneider

  • Benjamin Benschneider

    Benjamin Benschneider

  • Benjamin Benschneider

    Benjamin Benschneider

  • Benjamin Benschneider

    Benjamin Benschneider

  • Benjamin Benschneider

    Benjamin Benschneider

  • Benjamin Benschneider

    Benjamin Benschneider

  • Benjamin Benschneider

    Benjamin Benschneider

  • Benjamin Benschneider

    Benjamin Benschneider

  • Benjamin Benschneider

    Benjamin Benschneider

of

Public Realm

The Catalyst Building aims to be one of North America’s most sustainable

Designed by Michael Green Architecture and constructed by Katerra, The Catalyst Building is expected to meet net zero and zero carbon standards using cross-laminated timber to combat climate change

by Georgina Johnston 22 February 2021 Sustainable Buildings

Located in Spokane, Washington, the 165,000 sq ft project is the first completed building in a highly sustainable district called the HUB. This project is intended to set the standard for additional buildings that will be built in this district. The site is situated in an area of downtown which is currently under-utilised and in need of revitalisation. 

A new pedestrian bridge linked this area to the four universities on the North over the train track. The new building acts as an incubation space to synergise industries and includes offices, classrooms, common study areas, an Innovation Lab located on the ground floor, and will house Eastern Washington University’s Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics programmes. 

One of the client’s sustainability goals was to design and construct a mass timber building that could exceed the performance of a comparable steel and concrete building, and  showcase the benefits of CLT with regard to aesthetics, building efficiency, and environmental impact. 

High sustainability mandates were realised through a collaborative design process led by Michael Green Architecture. Per the Life Cycle Analysis authored by the Carbon Leadership Forum at University of Washington; “the carbon storage of the timber nearly offsets the embodied carbon impact of the construction”. Other “passive-first” strategies including bio swales and water retention system for low water use, envelope design utilising Passive House standards, and durable material application to achieve design life expectancy of 75 years. The building blow door test result achieved 0.2 ACH 50 when compared to Passive House Standard of 0.6 ACH 50 means Catalyst is three times more air tight than the Standard requirement. 


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