History
Green Building Features
Four of the buildings in the Brewery Blocks have been given certification from the US Green Building Council:
- Block 1 — Whole Foods Building — LEED Silver
- Block 2 — Brewery Blocks Tower & Brewhouse — LEED Gold
- Block 3 — The Henry Building — LEED Gold
- Block 4 — M Financial Plaza — LEED Gold
- Block 5 — The Louisa Building — LEED Gold
Also, Block 4 contains green eco-friendly roof and a solar panel system. For more information about the US Green Building Council and what these certifications mean, visit their website www.usgbc.org.
Why is Green Building Important?
- Buildings consume 40% of all material and energy flows.
- Buildings and their construction consume 54% of all U.S. energy either directly or indirectly.
- Buildings account for 35% of the CO2 emissions in the U.S.
Green building practices provide the framework and tools to build in an efficient, healthy, and ecologically responsible manner.
What is Green Building?
- Considers the true costs of building and site impacts on the local, regional, and global environment through life-cycle costing and assessment
- Uses natural resources efficiently, maximizes the use of local materials, and eliminates waste.
- Reduces building ecological footprints allowing ecosystems to function more naturally.
- Optimizes climatic conditions through site orientation and design.
- Uses energy-efficiency systems and materials
- Integrates natural daylight and ventilation and improves indoor air quality.
- Plans for future flexibility, expansion, and building demolition.
- Reduces, reuses, and recycles materials in all phases of construction and deconstruction.
- Minimizes the use of mined rare metals and persistent synthetic compounds.
- Conserves and reuses water and treats stormwater runoff on-site.
- Encourages a transit, bicycle and pedestrian oriented project.
- Includes advanced telecommunications technology allowing greater electronic access and reducing the need to travel.
- Improves acoustics and reduces noise levels.
Here is what we have done at the Brewery Blocks
Energy Efficiency
The Brewery Blocks was designed to reduce energy use over national energy standards by 20%-25% in the office buildings and by up to 40% in the residential buildings through:
- High performance windows and glazing maximize interior daylight while reducing heat transfer.
- Operable windows in both office and residential buildings.
- High-efficiency lighting design includes daylighting controls and light shelves.
- Highly efficient chilled water plant serves the entire development.
- Building integrated photovoltaic system as a demonstration project on the M Financial Plaza building generates electricity on-site to reduce energy consumption.
- At The Henry, a waste heat recovery system captures rejected heat and preheats domestic hot water.
- Energy Star appliances in residential buildings wherever possible.
- Programmable thermostats are provided for regularly occupied spaces.
- Commissioning of all buildings to verify and ensure that he building is designed, constructed and calibrated to operate as intended.
Resource Efficiency
- Interior recycling and sorting facilities for residents and tenants.
- Recycled over 90% of construction waste materials and nearly 95% of all demolition waste.
- Preference given to materials that contain recycled content and that are manufactured locally.
- Preference given to materials that are extracted locally reducing the embodied energy associated with transportation.
Water Efficiency
- The Brewery Blocks was designed to reduce water usage over a base building by 20-25% in office building common areas and by 35% in the residential buildings through:
- Low-flow/ultra low-flow kitchen and bath fixtures.
- Dual flush toilets
Indoor Air Quality
- Operable windows in both the office and residential buildings allow for natural ventilation.
- Specified low-toxicity building materials and finishes(carpet, paint) to prevent persistent off-gassing.
- Walk-off mats at main building and parking garage entries to reduce indoor air pollutants.
- Safer, environmentally responsible janitorial services and free green cleaning supply program for tenants and residents.
Environmental Responsibility
- Mixed-use, transit-supportive project: MAX Light Rail, Portland Streetcar, and several bus stops within a few blocks.
- Full service bicycle commuter locker room including showers, over 100 lockers, and secured bicycle storage.
- Eco-roofs on podium levels of several buildings reduce stormwater runoff and mitigate the urban heat island effect.
- Environmentally-appropriate landscaping with drought-tolerant and native species.
As you can see, a great deal of time and effort has been spent by the project team in evaluating and incorporating as many environmentally responsible features as possible into the overall design of The Brewery Blocks.
Resources for Greening Your Space
City of Portland, Office of Sustainable Development Tenant Improvement Guide – A comprehensive guide to high performance tenant improvements www.green-rated.org
U.S. Green Building Council www.usgbc.org
