Green Washington Awards 2013: Building & Construction

Winner: Walsh Construction

At the mixed-use Greenfire Campus in the heart of Seattles Ballard neighborhood, Walsh Construction embraced an opportunity to push its green building practices to new heights. Already a stalwart of sustainable constructionWalsh has built more than 50 LEED-certified buildings throughout Washington and Oregonthe Walsh team embarked on a paperless challenge with other partners on the Greenfire project, including architects, engineers, leasing agents and property managers. All project documents, including plans, change orders and meeting minutes, were kept digitally. And Walsh recycled an astonishing 99 percent of construction waste from the project, which was completed earlier this year and combines office space, apartments and commercial enterprises in a sustainably oriented setting.

Walsh goes far beyond recycling. The firms Green Measure Evaluation Tool (GMET) allows clients to identify the costs of more than 140 green building practices before starting to build. An in-house sustainability training program is so effective that it has attracted employees of Walshs clients and subcontractors. As a result of the program, Walsh now boasts 37 LEED-accredited employees.

Thanks to its tireless efforts to maximize efficiency while emphasizing green initiatives, Walsh has earned a reputation as a top-tier builder of sustainably centered multiunit housing developments, resorts, academic buildings and just about everything in between.