Bainbridge is Taking the LEED in the Energy Efficiency Movement

From the soaring lobby to the cushier seats, new studio, elevator and fresh finishes, audiences this fall will be blown away by Bainbridge Performing Arts’ bigger, better playhouse. But the building’s real beauty might well be largely out of sight.

By Connie Bye

Sustainable features—solar panels, prime insulation and glazing, a whisper-quiet, super-efficient heating-and-cooling system and much more—will ensure that the venerable theater in the heart of Winslow is a sentinel of the environment for decades to come.

BPA aims to win LEED Gold certification with its $18 million renovation, the Buxton Center for Bainbridge Performing Arts. LEED, a rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, recognizes “healthy, efficient, carbon and cost-saving green buildings.”

If BPA succeeds, it will join the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, which achieved LEED Gold in 2016, and the Kids Discovery Museum, which attained LEED Silver in 2011.

Together, these buildings make a high-profile statement about Bainbridge’s commitment to the planet, said architect Matthew Coates, who designed BIMA and KiDiMu. “They show how we value sustainability and the environment.”

That local commitment also manifests in institutions such as IslandWood and Bloedel Reserve, noted Ralph Spillinger, who has overseen design and construction at BPA and BIMA at no charge to the institutions.

Both BPA’s and BIMA’s boards of directors made sustainable design the top goal, Spillinger said. “And the board members’ passion is infectious.”

Achieving sustainability can cost more upfront, compared with other types of construction, said Scott Farwell, BIMA’s facilities and operations manager. But energy savings mount up over time.

“I’m really proud of what our designers started,” said Farwell, who began work at BIMA after it opened in 2013 and helped push the museum to LEED Gold. “But it will go beyond all of us. We’re just the stewards.”

Off-Stage Assets

Spillinger is passionate about the advantages of sustainability and offers unique credentials for managing such projects. He retired to Bainbridge Island after overseeing design, construction and maintenance of onshore buildings with the U.S. Navy, followed by 11 years at NASA. He discovered Bainbridge while working for the Navy in Kitsap County.

He is onsite at BPA nearly every day, checking progress, dealing with issues, verifying that work is proceeding as the architect intended. Spillinger also meets each week virtually with the architect and contractor.

Initially, the BPA board considered tearing down the theater and building new but found that was cost-prohibitive, Spillinger said. As it turned out, LEED gives credit for preserving buildings, “so, we had an easier time meeting the standards.” BPA chose LMN Architects, a Seattle firm that specializes in such projects, and Carley Construction Inc., a Bainbridge company, to handle the work.

The rooftop solar array is expected to generate 25 percent of the electrical needs at the complex. Energy-efficient LED lighting will be used throughout, including most stage lights, Spillinger said.

Just as at BPA, some key green elements at the art museum are not obvious, including the rooftop solar array and a geo-exchange system that taps into constant temperatures deep underground to help maintain the heating-and-cooling balance needed to preserve artwork.

Some sustainable aspects at BIMA are highly visible, however. A series of giant louvers across the building’s face respond to sunlight, helping to maintain interior temperatures and regulate the amount of natural light inside. While eye-appealing, Farwell noted, the louvers “are more than decoration.”

High-Performance Homes

Besides public buildings that feature energy efficiency, Bainbridge Island is home to “some world-class residential structures that are recognized worldwide as the ultimate,” Spillinger said.

When well-informed, people often opt for earth-friendly construction, said Kevin Harris, who serves on advisory boards and committees nationwide, including as vice chair, executive committee, of the American Institute of Architects’ National Custom Residential Architects Network.

Builders, architects and remodelers form the front-line in educating residential customers about the advantages of “high-performance homes,” he said.

“Securing the envelope—keeping air and moisture from penetrating the walls of a building—can take the cost of heating and cooling down 90 percent,” he said. “The largest cost of a structure is not construction. It’s ongoing costs, such as heating, cooling and maintenance.”

The key is communicating the advantages, Harris said, especially cost savings over time. He recommends hiring an energy rater to assess overall performance of various choices, so consumers can make informed decisions.

Harris is director of sales and marketing for AGS Stainless Inc., a 30-year-old Bainbridge company that manufactures custom railings. Its products don’t rust, don’t rot and, if someday the owner wants a change, are recyclable. “That’s how we fit into the equation,” he said.

Creature Comforts

In addition to sustainable features, BPA aims to enhance the audience experience, Spillinger said. The new elevator will make seats at the top of the theater accessible for people of all abilities. Added interior aisles will simplify getting to seats throughout the theater. Patrons can gather and mingle in the spacious lobby.

The laminar heating and cooling system will not only be super quiet and efficient, it will improve air quality, a consideration that has gained importance since the pandemic began. Filtered air will mix with fresh air and drift upward from vents under the seats. “It is the new standard for theaters,” Spillinger said.