(C09) Creating a Carbon Copy: What Batik Can Teach Us About Replicating High-performing, Multifamily Design at a Market Rate

Seattle's market-rate Batik Apartments is a replicable model for the multifamily sector to improve overall building energy performance without compromising good design. Using health and wellness as a blueprint, Batik's design programming reinforces an overall health-minded development. But its nod to its health-focused origins is just the beginning: it's also one of the most energy-efficient multifamily buildings in the region, achieving an energy-use intensity rating (EUI) of just 17 kBtu/ft2/yr – less than half the energy use of a typical new multifamily building of this type. The award-winning project achieved LEED for Homes Platinum certification using off-the-shelf technology in creative ways, including an innovative domestic hot water system that uses high-efficiency commercial heat pump water heater technology. In addition, Batik uses low-flow plumbing fixtures that reduce water usage by 30%, and high efficiency heat pump space conditioning equipment that eliminate the use of fossil fuels for space and water heating. With new energy codes moving toward carbon neutral, there are ample opportunities in the multifamily sector to maximize value and achieve high-performance objectives; Batik exemplifies that this is possible even with a tight budget. Learn the design and energy-saving strategies that were implemented with readily available parts and resulted in quick pay-back periods, making them financially justifiable for any conventional market-rate budget. Session will also include: • Batik post-occupancy study results (meets LEED rating #13. LEED building performance: Energy, Water, Waste, Transportation, Human Experience) • A breakdown of Batik's commercial heat pump water heater technology (meets LEED rating #12. Benefits or Incentives of LEED Buildings) • Practical strategies implemented to achieve LEED for Homes Platinum (meets LEED rating #2. Strategies implemented to achieve LEED prerequisites, credits and/or to improve performance in a category)