Portland Living Building

PAE Living Building

Portland, OR

Project Categories

Portland
Living Buildings + Net-Zero
High-performing buildings
All-Electric
Commercial + corporate office

Business Type

Corporate headquarters and retail

Size

58,000 square feet

The building embodies PAE's vision for a world with clean air, energy, and water for all. As the world’s first developer-driven Living Building, the five-story, mixed-use building will demonstrates replicable and cost-effective solutions for sustainable design removing barriers to entry for highly sustainable projects while helping to revitalizing the community. For in-depth information on the PAE Living Building, click here.

Architect

ZGF Architects

Owner

Multiple Owners

Lighting Design

LUMA

Services

Mechanical engineering

Electrical engineering

Plumbing engineering

LUMA Lighting Design

Building performance analysis

Renewable energy systems

Greenhouse gas consulting

Fire protection

Technology design

Sustainability

Certifications

Net-Zero Water
Living Building
Architecture 2030
Net-Zero Energy

Special features

Designed to last 500+ years
First developer-led commercial Living Building proves business case and creates pathway for others
16.2 EUI compared to 41.5 EUI typical energy use by a Portland office building built to code, which is 85% better than Architecture 2030 targets
113% of the energy use provided by onsite and offsite renewable energy
100% of building’s water needs are collected, treated, and used onsite with the help of a 71,000 gallon underground cistern
70% of the building's perimeter spaces can be ventilated or cooled with operable windows
61% energy savings over a typical existing office building before solar harvesting
Daylight, views, operable windows, and other biophilic strategies support occupant health, comfort, and productivity
Sustainable and healthy building materials include Pacific Northwest-sourced cross-laminated timber certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
First-of-its-kind multistory vacuum-flush compostable toilets reduce water use and transform waste into a rich nutrient source
Through onsite and dedicated offsite solar, the project is a net energy producer
Cost-neutral seismic upgrades allow structure to be designed to withstand Category IV, same as hospitals and fire stations
Achieves the city's 2050 renewable energy targets 30 years ahead of schedule
Walk score of 99 out of 100

PAE Living Building

Portland, OR

Project Categories

Business Type

Size

Architect

Owner

Lighting Design

Services

Sustainability

Certifications

Special features

Media Coverage

Turf: New Sustainable Fertilizers From Building Waste, Rain & Solar Energy

ENR: PAE Living Building Team Shares Lessons Learned

Portland Business Journal: Eco-friendly building in Old Town lands international accolade

The Registry: The PAE Living Building in Portland Receives Full Living Building Challenge Certification

Newsweek: Ultra-Sustainable Building Technologies Are Hitting the Mainstream

Metropolis: 5 Buildings that Pushed Sustainable Design

Metropolis: The PAE Living Building Rises in Portland, Oregon

ENR: ENR Northwest Announces 2022 Best Projects Winners

Smart Buildings Magazine: Inside the smart building of the year

Propmodo: Sustainable, Mass Timber Office Buildings Are Starting to Pencil Out

Architect Magazine: Beyond the Surface: When Art and Architecture Unite

US Glass Magazine: Oregon’s First ‘Living Building’ Features Photovoltaic Technology, Large Operable Windows

The Oregonian: Engineering firm says its new downtown headquarters is Portland’s first ‘Living Building'

The Hill: High-tech wooden cities could fight fire, climate change, study says

ENR: ENR Northwest Announces 2022 Best Projects Winners

The Oregonian: 2022 Restore Oregon preservation awards spotlight historic buildings revitalizing neighborhoods

K103 Mornings with Stacey & Mike: The New 100% Sustainable Building in Downtown Portland

Dezeen: Mass-timber office in Portland is world's largest commercial Living Building

KOIN 6 TV: Portland home to ‘completely sustainable’ building, company says

Portland Business Journal: Why Portland needs a Living Building

Building Design and Construction: World’s largest commercial Living Building opens in Portland, Ore.

KGW: 'Living building' opens in Portland's Old Town neighborhood

Fast Company: This Office Building was Designed to Last 500 Years

Surface Mag: ZGF Architects completes the world’s largest living commercial building in Portland.

The Architect's Newspaper: ZGF debuts world's largest commercial Living Building in Portland

Portland Business Tribune: Workers' return to offices lifts Portland's central business district market

Portland Business Tribune: PAE Living Building: From cast iron to composters

Bloomberg CityLab: It's Time for a Net Zero Building Boom

Mirai Kotohajime: Architecture and the future of cities in Portland: What is the world's highest level of sustainable architecture certification

ENR: PAE Living Building Team Perseveres Through Pandemic and Unwelcome Outside Forces

ENR: Portland's PAE Living Office Building Designed For Hospital-Level Quake Performance

New York Times: Going ‘Deep Green,’ Office Buildings Give Back to the Planet

DJC Oregon: The PAE Living Building: lessons learned

DJC Oregon: Systems within a highly efficient structure

DJC Oregon: Problem elicits a ‘best-case solution’

Business Tribune: Living Building may revitalize quiet corner of downtown

DJC Oregon: Potential living building coming to life

Building Design + Construction: This will be the largest Living Building in the world

The Architect's Newspaper: Work is underway on the world’s largest commercial Living Building in Portland

DJC Oregon: Project team blazing a trail

DJC Oregon: Creating the world's largest living building

DJC Oregon: Living building proposal moves forward

DJC Oregon: Proposal for living building in Old Town draws praise

Blog Coverage

PAE Living Building on OPB's "Think Out Loud"

PAE Living Building breaks ground

Sustainable Building Week