About LEED Certification

The U.S. Green Building Council created and manages the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The USGBC certifies the quality and commitment to environmentally responsible construction and design. Participation in the program is voluntary and labor-intensive.

LEED certification is awarded on a points system in the categories of Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials & Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Innovation & Design Process. Just a few of the measurable criteria include:

Heat Island Effect of Roofing Material
Our rooftop garden of native sedum (a succulent plant) helps lower urban temperatures, while reducing storm water runoff. The plants and soil absorb water during the winter reducing storm water runoff. The soil depth and the shade from the plants can reduce solar energy gain by up to 90 percent. The roof also reflects heat, rather than retaining it, which reduces cooling costs.

Green Power
We use 100 percent Blue Sky energy from Pacific Power. The Blue Sky program provides renewable energy from sources such as wind power.

Use of Local/Regional Materials
An estimated 60 percent of the building was created by talented local craftspeople with locally-procured products.

Low-Emitting Paints, Solvents, Adhesives, Carpets, etc.
Low and no-VOC paints were used throughout the building, as well as recycled carpet squares with low-VOC adhesives. Cork flooring—a rapidly renewable resource—adorns the Sanctuary on the third floor, as well as some of the hallways. Terrazzo tile flooring is comprised of reclaimed marble chips in a low-VOC binding agent. All construction sealants used are low-VOC.

Reclaimed Materials
The sixth floor ceiling of the Strega bar, as well as some furniture in the spa, is adorned with Douglas Fir reclaimed from the original 1908 building. Oregon Black Walnut floors were created from windfall or “recovered” wood, not virgin harvested materials. They are finished in a water-based low-VOC product.

To list every aspect of our endeavors to create a green building would be exhaustive, so the above list is by no means comprehensive.

Our building is on track to earn a LEED Silver certification. The process involved a strong desire to create a building that honors sustainability in every aspect, even down the things you don’t see, such as urea- and formaldehyde-free insulation. While this insulation was not a requirement of the LEED certification process, it is beneficial to the air quality of the building—and thus we went the extra mile to use it throughout. It’s one of the many ways we actually exceed the LEED certification guidelines.

An independent, full-time LEED coordinator oversaw our design and construction. Maintaining LEED certification is an ongoing process. Every year we will undergo audits by the USGBC to confirm our compliance.

Striving for LEED certification is not for the faint-of-heart. Many locals often wondered why our construction took so long to complete. While the building could have been finished in less time and for less cost, it would have resulted in environmental sacrifices that we were unwilling to take.

Our team spent an additional 1500 human hours specifically to reach this goal. Call us crazy, call us obsessed, but we are relentless in the pursuit of doing right by the environment.

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