EGWW: Rethinking the Old to Create a New

In 2014, the renovation project of federal buildings created by Edith Green and Wendell Wyatt (EGWW) in Portland, Oregon, has been selected by the American Institute of Architects (AIA ) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE) as one of the ten best green projects (Top Ten Awards) demonstrating the ample opportunities of sustainable architecture. The building energy consumption is one of the lowest in the country and that is why it has become a model for the modernization of federal buildings for the Offices of the General Services Administration (GSA).

The Edith Green-Wendell Wyatt (EGWW) Federal Building Project modernized an existing 18-story, 512,474-square-foot office tower located in downtown Portland. Completed in 1974, the building’s MEP systems were worn out and out-dated. The project goals included upgrading building systems, updating work environments and improving accessibility, while also meeting the energy and water conservation requirements of the Energy Independence & Security Act (EISA), complying with federal standards for blast resistance, and providing new code compliant egress stairs, entries and rest rooms. The project has transformed the building into a modern, healthy workplace for 16 federal agencies, and was completed within 39 months.

This LEED Platinum certified project is projected to exceed the performance requirements of the ARRA and is on track to become one of the highest performance federal buildings in the GSA’s portfolio. The primary design goal was to transform the existing building from an aging, energy hog to one of the premiere environmentallyfriendly buildings in the nation.

Full content of this issue you can read here

The full version of the article can be read in our printed issue, also you can subscribe to the web-version of the magazine

Materials provided by SERA Architects