Office buildings in Seattle
497 office buildings benchmarked under Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920), graded by ENERGY STAR score.
At a glance
497 office buildings in Seattle disclose their energy use under the Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920), 13% of the city's 3,871 benchmarked buildings and its 2nd-largest property type. They average an ENERGY STAR score of 76 (median 83) and a site EUI of 44.8 kBtu/ft². The top scorer is Chapter Building 1, at 100.
Top of the class
Most efficient
| Building | Score | Site EUI | Floor area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chapter Building 1 | A100 | 10.7 kBtu/ft² | 328,919 sq ft |
| 400 Westlake Building | A100 | 11.6 kBtu/ft² | 268,005 sq ft |
| World Trade Center North | A100 | 43.1 kBtu/ft² | 251,044 sq ft |
| Magnuson Bldg 2, Conservation Corps | A100 | 9.9 kBtu/ft² | 178,196 sq ft |
| Chapter Building 2 | A100 | 8.8 kBtu/ft² | 156,586 sq ft |
| Interbay Work Lofts | A100 | 10.1 kBtu/ft² | 111,750 sq ft |
| Rainier Bottling Plant | A100 | 14.0 kBtu/ft² | 92,051 sq ft |
| Queen Anne Plaza | A100 | 0.8 kBtu/ft² | 86,995 sq ft |
| Northwest Bldg | A100 | 74.4 kBtu/ft² | 85,385 sq ft |
| RAVENNA OFFICE BUILDING - DEMO | A100 | 12.5 kBtu/ft² | 56,896 sq ft |
| United Way | A100 | 4.3 kBtu/ft² | 52,298 sq ft |
| Bullitt Center | A100 | 18.8 kBtu/ft² | 52,000 sq ft |
| DEPT SOCIAL & HEALTH SERVICES | A100 | 8.8 kBtu/ft² | 41,262 sq ft |
| Key Bank (International Building) | A100 | 3.2 kBtu/ft² | 35,202 sq ft |
| OFFICE-SPRAG- inactive demolished | A100 | 17.6 kBtu/ft² | 21,183 sq ft |
Penalty exposure
Least efficient
| Building | Score | Site EUI | Floor area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4545 15th Ave Ne | D1 | 278.3 kBtu/ft² | 113,944 sq ft |
| ABM/ Johnson Barrow | D1 | 93.1 kBtu/ft² | 29,740 sq ft |
| Virginia Mason- Blackford Hall | D1 | 147.0 kBtu/ft² | 22,667 sq ft |
| Columbia Printing | D1 | 188.4 kBtu/ft² | 20,460 sq ft |
| Fhcrc - Fairview Bldg. | D2 | 137.6 kBtu/ft² | 37,740 sq ft |
| 3101 Western (Formerly Airborne Bldg) | D3 | 177.4 kBtu/ft² | 253,103 sq ft |
| 1000 Denny Way Building | D10 | 197.1 kBtu/ft² | 287,819 sq ft |
| Emerald Landing I | D10 | 100.9 kBtu/ft² | 84,116 sq ft |
| Northgate Office Building | D10 | 103.4 kBtu/ft² | 53,730 sq ft |
| Office Building, 5030 1ST AVE S | D11 | 89.2 kBtu/ft² | 43,473 sq ft |
| Nippon Kan/Kobe Park Building | D11 | 185.1 kBtu/ft² | 31,432 sq ft |
| Waterworks Office & Marina | D17 | 140.0 kBtu/ft² | 30,840 sq ft |
| NORTHGATE EXECUTIVE CENTER A | D18 | 82.3 kBtu/ft² | 39,927 sq ft |
| 410 Associates Office Bldg | D20 | 90.7 kBtu/ft² | 20,410 sq ft |
| Office Building, 911 N 145TH ST | D22 | 62.9 kBtu/ft² | 42,793 sq ft |
Scale
Largest
| Building | Score | Site EUI | Floor area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Center | A90 | 41.6 kBtu/ft² | 1,952,220 sq ft |
| Starbucks (Sodo) Center - Campus | A97 | 31.2 kBtu/ft² | 1,750,319 sq ft |
| Two Union Square | A96 | 23.7 kBtu/ft² | 1,605,578 sq ft |
| Amazon Reinvent Towers (East + West) | A94 | 31.7 kBtu/ft² | 1,599,394 sq ft |
| Day 1 Tower And Spheres (Amazon) | A93 | 44.5 kBtu/ft² | 1,599,230 sq ft |
| Russell Investments Center | A92 | 36.6 kBtu/ft² | 1,592,914 sq ft |
| Us Bank Center | A87 | 34.3 kBtu/ft² | 1,536,606 sq ft |
| Rainier Square Tower (Mf + Commercial) | B74 | 41.9 kBtu/ft² | 1,527,817 sq ft |
| Amazon Doppler Building | A90 | 41.0 kBtu/ft² | 1,496,961 sq ft |
| Wash Mutual Tower (1201 Third Ave) | A92 | 34.8 kBtu/ft² | 1,413,575 sq ft |
How do Seattle's office buildings compare with the rest of the city?
Their average ENERGY STAR score of 76 is roughly in line with the citywide average of 78. Average site EUI is 44.8 kBtu/ft², roughly in line with the city's 47.6 kBtu/ft² across all property types. Emissions intensity averages 0.7 kgCO₂e/ft², about 30% below the citywide 1.0. 67% of the scored office buildings reach 75 or higher, the ENERGY STAR certification threshold. Together they reported 40,159 tCO₂e in their latest years, 8% of the city's disclosed building emissions.
How do Seattle's office buildings compare nationally?
Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers there are 15,264 office buildings, averaging an ENERGY STAR score of 73 and a site EUI of 59.3 kBtu/ft². Seattle has the 5th-most office buildings of the 20 jurisdictions with at least 25. By average ENERGY STAR score it ranks 2nd of 18; Los Angeles leads at 77.
How big and how old are Seattle's office buildings?
The average office building here has 196,452 sq ft of floor area, about 75% above the citywide average of 112,467 sq ft. Together they cover 97.6 million square feet. The average year built is 1965, against 1975 for all disclosed buildings in the city. The largest is Columbia Center, at 1,952,220 sq ft.
More on Seattle's buildings
- All Seattle benchmarked buildings· Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920)
- Multifamily Housing buildings in Seattle· 1,971 buildings
- Non-Refrigerated Warehouse buildings in Seattle· 164 buildings
- Mixed Use Property buildings in Seattle· 157 buildings
- K-12 School buildings in Seattle· 153 buildings
- Hotel buildings in Seattle· 86 buildings
- Retail Store buildings in Seattle· 68 buildings
- Office buildings in California· 6,214 buildings
- Office buildings in New York City· 3,384 buildings
- Office buildings in Washington, DC· 899 buildings
- Office buildings in Los Angeles· 676 buildings
- Office buildings in Boston· 467 buildings
- Office buildings in Denver· 427 buildings
- Most efficient large buildings in Seattle
- Biggest emitters in Seattle
Frequently asked questions
How efficient are Seattle's office buildings?
The 497 benchmarked office buildings in Seattle average an ENERGY STAR score of 76 and a site energy-use intensity of 44.8 kBtu/ft² in their latest disclosures under the Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920).
Which office building in Seattle has the best energy grade?
Chapter Building 1 leads with an ENERGY STAR score of 100 across 328,919 sq ft.
How many office buildings in Seattle could qualify for ENERGY STAR certification?
67% of the 378 scored office buildings report a score of 75 or higher, the threshold for certification eligibility; certification itself is a separate, verified application.
What is the largest office building in Seattle?
Columbia Center, with 1,952,220 sq ft of gross floor area in its latest disclosure.
About this data
Source: Building Energy Benchmarking (Seattle Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (SMC 22.920)), as published October 2, 2026. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: BuildingCensus, “Office buildings in Seattle”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/seattle/type/office (data as of October 2, 2026).