The Environmentally Responsible Choice
Sustainability and Style - The Oregon Conservation Center, Portland Oregon
Sustainability is an incredibly important element of any architect’s approach to design these days. As well as protecting our planet and the resources we rely on, it is also part of the design professional’s commitment to protect the health, safety and welfare of our communities.
Sustainability is clearly central to the 16,000 sf Oregon Conservation Center, in Portland Oregon, that is home to office, conference/event space and a newly built roof garden terrace.
A LEED Gold building, designed by Lever Architecture, also located in Portland, the project was essentially a renovation and expansion of the existing building. Meeting the modern demands placed on a building while adhering to the principals that guide the organization, seem to be at the heart of what was achieved.
As well as renovation, a new building was added and the Oregon Conservation Center utilizes beautiful, sustainably resourced timber curtain wall from Sierra Pacific Windows and powder coated aluminum clad windows.
Andrea White, Director of Architectural Sales, explains, “We worked closely with the design team at Lever Architecture to support their sustainability and design vision. Our timber curtain wall system allowed the team to use sustainably resourced, natural materials that fit seamlessly with their concept for the building, and met strict performance requirements for air and water infiltration, and structural windload”.
The system ensures plenty of natural daylight, operable windows and the use of local materials, and the LEED Gold certification was also achieved using photovoltaics to produce 25 percent of the building’s electrical supply, effective management of storm water, and various building systems and fixtures which reduce both electric and water consumption upwards of 44%.
Environmentally responsible product choices are common for interior designers, so the ability to offer architects working on exterior and structural aspects sustainable options – from curtain wall to coating - is tremendous.
Sierra Pacific Windows have long been proponents of environmentally responsible products, including their coating choice for the aluminum-clad wood windows.
Superior performance, architectural grade powder coatings are used on all their aluminum clad windows, and deliver gorgeous aesthetics, tough, durable performance (IFS 500FP meets and exceeds the AAMA 2605 performance requirements) and offer an improved sustainability footprint over liquid paints. The Oregon Conservation Center utilized a gorgeous black Fluoropolymer powder coating for the ultimate in weathering protection, sustainability and style.
Architects are now making a conscious decision to demand sustainability from their coatings, and switching from solvent born 70% liquid PVDF paint – with all the associated environmental impacts – to 100% FEVE powder coating sends a clear message on their commitment to sustainability, at every level of the specification.