Portland, OR stands as an impressive and comprehensive example of sustainable design possibilities in today’s construction industry. Areas such as the Pearl District and firms like Gerding Edlen and Interface Engineering show ingenuity in the development and redevelopment of old and new structures. Our field study gave us the opportunity to meet and learn from these sector leaders.
Gerding Edlen is a cutting-edge development firm with a business model worth duplicating. Operating for 15 years with core values focused on sustainability, they offer services ranging from development, property management, green solutions and retrofit project management, and investment management. Gerding Edlen is an SEC registered investment advisor capable of managing accounts for investors and sponsoring funds. The funds focus on value-add opportunities for development and redevelopment in high growth urban markets in the United States. Their property types are diversified between office, retail, multi-family, and mixed-use. Their primary agenda and expertise is with sustainability, proving to now give them a competitive edge in today’s market. Users are drawn to these properties because of their environmentally friendly panache, reduced energy expenses, and employee enhancing features. These have all been ‘road-tested’ enough that the premium rents and increased Net Operating Income for these properties are attainable. Gerding Edlen has the expertise to execute these green developments and navigate the available financing incentives. They recently added a Property Management service because their expertise with green features gave them a superior advantage over the competition. The firm has 57 LEED certified properties with over $5 Billion in value. The manager that toured us around said the partners greatest talents were working through financing and networking with best-of-class business & community leaders. Further investigation into their specific projects and its means of success would be beneficial for any current developer. Our built world is progressing with a concentration on its environmental impacts, and it will only gain intensity, one day being mandated throughout the world.
Interface Engineering was another exemplary firm visited during our field study. They shared some of their design insight through the solar shade study of a waterfront office building and the design of a LEED Platinum and Net-Zero elementary school addition. The Solar study concluded the best location for the building in response to the preferable horizontal shades on the broad side of the building. These horizontal shades gave greater views and southern sun protection. Interface also gave a summary presentation on an addition/renovation project for Hood River Middle School totaling approx. 15,000 sq. ft. They wanted the structure to have the benefits of green features and provide students with a teachable building, meaning they will learn from the enhancements and its environmental cause. Also, an on-site garden allows biological, culinary, and community interaction and education. For electricity, the project utilized on-grid PV panels, which allows utility company backup when needed, but also ‘resale’ of unused power back to the power company in low consumption seasons. To minimize power use, windows & skylights featuring light and occupancy sensors for lighting controls were utilized. In respect to mechanical, radiant floor heating & cooling was used in conjunction with a horizontal geothermal heat pump system located under the adjacent football field. For decades a nearby stream had been diverted for various uses so the school was allowed for use in cooling system needs. Rainwater harvesting was used for the projects landscaping and gardening needs. Interface Engineering has 14 Net-Zero projects in design with 113 LEED certified buildings completed.
Portland features some of the finest industry-leading sustainable development created over the past decade. The city mixes historic structures with neighboring new projects in a beautiful and compatible manner. These will serve as inspiration for the commercial real estate industry that is in the midst of a transformation to reduce its environmental impact.
Written by Josh Lowder, CCIM MRED, 2013