October 7, 2025
The Port of Seattle has embarked on an ambitious project to transform the historic Ship Supply Building at Fishermen's Terminal into the Maritime Innovation Center (MInC), a cutting-edge facility designed to foster a sustainable blue economy. But this isn't just a renovation; it's a complete reimagining of what a building can be, with the goal of meeting the rigorous standards of the Living Building Challenge. This challenge is not just about being "less bad" for the environment; it's about creating buildings that are regenerative, self-sufficient, and have a positive impact on their communities.
The MInC project is central to the Port's vision of becoming the greenest port in North America, and showcases some truly innovative sustainability features to get there.
Living Building Challenge
At the heart of the MInC project lies the Living Building Challenge (LBC), the world's most rigorous standard for sustainable building. The Living Building Challenge isn’t a checklist — it’s a performance-based framework organized into seven “petals” or performance categories. Together, the petals make up a flower, a simple symbol for the ideal built sustainable environment.
"What you want to think about for a building that's a Living Building is something that is based on how a natural system like a flower or a tree might function." — Chris Hellstern, Architect, Miller Hull
- Place — Responsible site selection and habitat preservation
- Water — Net-positive water management and treatment
- Energy — Operational and embodied carbon reduction and net-positive performance
- Health + Happiness — Safer, healthier environments for occupants
- Materials — Responsible sourcing and fewer harmful chemicals
- Equity — Fair access to nature and community benefits
- Beauty — Inspiring design that connects people to nature and culture
Projects must operate for 12 consecutive months under real occupancy conditions and prove it achieves net-positive energy and water, among other criteria, to be certified as a living building.
By combining ecological-based design with intelligent reuse of existing materials, the Port of Seattle is steering this project toward meeting the rigorous LBC standard. Let's dive into some of these key features and how they are paving the way for a more sustainable future.
Harnessing the earth's energy: the geo-exchange system
Imagine heating and cooling a building while using far less energy and producing no on-site emissions. That's the power of the geo-exchange system being installed at the MInC. This innovative system acts like a thermal piggy bank, using the earth's constant underground temperature to regulate the building's climate. This geothermal technology works by circulating water through a network of pipes buried deep underground. The system taps into the relatively constant temperature of the earth to both cool and heat a building in more efficient, lower-emission ways.
How it works at MInC
Project teams are drilling 14 270-foot-deep boreholes to install piping with fluid circulation. In the summer, the building rejects excess heat into the ground; in winter, it draws warmth from the earth. All of this is powered by clean electricity, which means zero on-site emissions from heating and cooling.
Moving toward net-positive energy
The system's efficiency comes from the fact that it only transfers thermal energy rather than generating it from scratch, dramatically reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions. Combined with an on-site solar photovoltaic array, the geo-exchange system helps the facility achieve its net-positive energy goal. This approach eliminates the building's reliance on fossil fuels, cutting carbon emissions and operational costs.
A long-term, low-maintenance investment
Geo-exchange systems are not only energy efficient but also durable and reliable, with a lifespan of 50 years or more. They have fewer moving parts than traditional HVAC systems, which means lower maintenance costs over time. By investing in this technology, the Port of Seattle is ensuring the Maritime Innovation Center remains a model of sustainable innovation for decades to come.
How this aligns with LBC
One of the core “petals” in the Living Building Challenge is “energy.” To achieve the net-positive energy portion of this petal, a building must generate more energy from renewable sources than it uses over the course of a year. Geo-exchange systems support this goal as they are one of the most efficient mechanical systems for thermal regulation and are widely recognized in sustainable building design as key to reducing operational carbon emissions. All-electric systems eliminate fossil fuel dependency.
Old beams, new life
The MInC is not just building for the future; it's also honoring the past. You may have heard someone say that a building has “good bones.” This is certainly true for the MInC. One of the most compelling aspects of the project is the strategic reuse of the original building's old-growth timber beams. Rather than demolishing and disposing of the original, massive timber columns and beams that make up the building’s superstructure, the project team is carefully preserving and repurposing this old-growth lumber from the near century-old Ship Supply Building.
This approach has two significant benefits. First, it preserves the historical character and story of the building, creating a tangible bridge between its rich past and future maritime innovation, honoring decades of work at Fishermen's Terminal. Second, it drastically reduces the building's embodied carbon, associated with manufacturing and transportation of new construction materials as well as the demolition removal and disposing of these materials.
How this aligns with LBC
The “materials” petal emphasizes using building materials in ways that promote sustainability, reduce carbon (both embodied and operational), avoid chemicals of concern, and favor reuse and renewable sources. Repurposing old growth timbers meets several of these goals: reuse of material, honoring the history of the place, and reducing the environmental cost up front.
Transforming waste into wonder
In another innovative move, wood from the original structure is being repurposed to create new Nail Laminated Timber (NLT) decking for the new floors. NLT is essentially a mass timber panel made by stacking dimensional lumber on edge and nailing it together. It can be constructed on-site or prefabricated, and it’s especially useful for floor panels, roof decks, and even ceilings. In the MInC, much of the material is salvaged from the original building, transforming what might otherwise be construction waste into a high-performance flooring system.
With its strong structure, warmth, and acoustic benefits, NLT offers sustainable and aesthetically pleasing alternative to conventional materials like concrete and steel.
How this aligns with LBC
This commitment to reusing and repurposing materials supports the "materials" petal by minimizing waste, reducing embodied carbon, and avoiding harmful chemicals. This sustainable process ensures the building can be more easily deconstructed and materials can be reused in the future. The use of exposed wood enhances the building’s biophilic design, connecting occupants with natural textures and materials.
A living example of sustainability
The Maritime Innovation Center is more than just a building; it's a statement. The Port is demonstrating that it's possible to build in a way that is both beautiful and environmentally responsible. As other ports and maritime facilities look for ways to reduce their environmental impact, the MInC is proof that ambitious sustainability goals are not just achievable, but can create beautiful, functional spaces that honor both our industrial heritage and our environmental future.
By pursuing the Living Building Challenge, the Port is setting a new standard for sustainable development and showing that the future of the maritime industry is not only innovative but also deeply connected to the health of our planet. The MInC is poised to become a shining example of how we can build a more sustainable and resilient future, one beam, one pipe, and one nail at a time.
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