What happens when you pursue the Living Building Challenge Materials Petal in a space where most material decisions have already been made?

For PAE’s new Seattle office at Waterfront Place, that question defined the project. Rather than starting from a blank slate, we worked within an existing commercial interior, using the constraints to test how far material transparency and healthy material selection could be pushed in a real-world setting.

Pursuing the Living Building Challenge Core Imperatives and Materials Petal, the project serves as a case study in applying one of the industry’s most rigorous standards for material health and transparency to an everyday workplace. The Materials Petal requires teams to identify and eliminate the most harmful chemicals and materials, known as the Red List, while advancing transparency across the supply chain.

Administered by Living Future, the Living Building Challenge requires post-occupancy verification and performance-based outcomes, with the Materials Petal among its most demanding. Certification is anticipated in Fall 2026.

Working with The Miller Hull Partnership, the goal was to create a high-performing workplace that reflects our values: transparency, healthy materials, and engineering in service of a regenerative future.

Navigating the Materials Petal

The Materials Petal shaped nearly every decision, but applying it in an existing building required a different process than in new construction. As with any project pursuing the Materials Petal, we had to investigate existing conditions and verify material composition, often with limited available information. In practice, this meant working from a partially unknown material baseline by assessing what was already installed, determining what could be retained, and identifying where replacement was necessary to meet Red List requirements. The project builds on lessons from our previous offices, including the Bullitt Center and the PAE Living Building.

This meant:

• Engaging directly with manufacturers to request ingredient disclosures for both new and existing products
• Identifying and avoiding Red List chemicals across interiors and MEP systems
• Evaluating products not just for performance, but for their full material composition and lifecycle impacts
• Specifying RoHS-compliant systems to reduce hazardous substances in controls and equipment

Together, these efforts shifted the focus of sustainability from operational systems to the substances people interact with every day. In doing so, the project aligns with the Materials Petal’s broader goal of advancing healthier, more transparent materials while acknowledging the complexity of applying that standard within existing conditions.

In some cases, this process extended beyond selection to influence. For this project, Wheatland eliminated hexavalent chromium from its galvanized conduit, demonstrating how one project can catalyze broader industry change.

Integrating Performance and Health

While materials were a central focus, the project also advances broader performance goals:

• Energy and Carbon Reduction: Energy metering and lifecycle assessment of interiors and MEP systems support continuous improvement
• Responsible Water Use: A targeted 25 percent reduction in water use is achieved through metering and leak detection strategies
• Healthy Interior Environment: A toxin-aware approach to product selection and system integration supports occupant wellbeing

Achieving the Materials Petal in an existing building requires more investigation, more coordination, and a willingness to work with incomplete information. But it also creates a different kind of impact.

Building materials shape human health, environmental pollution, and resource use across their lifecycle. The Materials Petal challenges project teams to address those impacts by identifying and eliminating the most harmful substances while pushing for greater transparency.

By prioritizing transparency and pushing for disclosure, project teams can help remove harmful materials, influence manufacturers, and shift supply chains, extending the impact of a single project beyond its footprint.

Waterfront Place demonstrates that the Materials Petal is not limited to new construction. It can be applied in everyday projects to advance healthier materials and contribute to a broader shift toward a more responsible materials economy.