The Olive 8 building, a 39-story hotel/condominium building located in downtown Seattle, has received LEED® Silver from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a first for hotel/condominium buildings in the Seattle area. As the first mixed-use hotel and residential project to be LEED certified in Seattle, Olive 8 has been recognized as a high-performance building that is a responsible and efficient place to live, vacation and work.

The cornerstone Hyatt at Olive 8 hotel located within the Olive 8 building is now also one of only 20 hotels in the US to be officially designated “green” by the LEED Green Building Rating System.

Olive 8 was planned and developed by R.C. Hedreen Company. Realizing the value of green building early on, R.C. Hedreen did a significant redesign of the original building plans to ensure it would meet the exacting LEED certification standards.

“A few years ago, it became obvious to us that green, sustainable and environmentally friendly design and construction is the future,” explains David Thyer, R.C. Hedreen Company chief executive officer. “All the research since then demonstrates that a green building is better for our bottom line, while also better for hotel guests and condo owners–both in terms of offering a healthier indoor environment and in terms of long-term investment value. Olive 8 is proof that a building can be both green and sophisticated.”

Olive 8 features a sleek 100-percent glass exterior, stunning blue glass architectural elements and one of Seattle’s largest living rooftop. The glass was provided and installed by Advanced Glazing Systems. The building is expected to have energy savings of 23 percent more than a conventional building of similar size and occupancy.

The property is home to the 346-room Hyatt at Olive 8, which is located on the first 17 floors of the building, and 229 urban condominium homes situated on the upper 22 floors.