Group Health Cooperative Headquarters

As co-owner and primary tenant of Westlake Terry, a two building office complex in South Lake Union, the Group Health Cooperative (GHC) was committed to integrating sustainable design of the building and interiors of their new headquarters. Group Health acknowledged the important relationship between environments and healing, and prioritized sustainable design strategies that supported their mission to “improve the care and well-being of our consumers and communities.” Their goal was to provide a healthy workplace, be a place of pride, and reflect good stewardship of the environment and responsibility towards the community.  As a result, the new headquarters incorporates good daylighting and visual connection to the outdoors; support for alternative transportation through location, bike racks, showers, and a bus commuter program; low-emitting building materials; building wide recycling; and lots of recycled building materials.

O’Brien & Company provided full LEED Project Management starting with sustainable building goal-setting and a LEED workshop. As the sustainability task-master and champion, O’Brien & Company filled the unglamorous but critical roll of seeing all the details through to completion. 

When the LEED workshop report was issued the project was well situated for LEED Silver certification. Having also participated in the design and construction of the LEED Core and Shell project for the building, O'Brien & Company knew that the with a little push the project could achieve Gold.  Not only did we spur the team to complete the documentation but we also helped complete a number of innovation credits to earn the final points needed. The project received LEED for Commercial Interiors Gold certification.