US Government Converts Outmoded High-Rise into High-Performance Office Space
Named in honor of two former Oregon Congressional Representatives, the Edith Green-Wendell Wyatt (EGWW) Federal Building is in the midst of an extensive renovation funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The 18-story tower originally constructed in 1975 no longer meets federal energy use requirements. The structural, electrical and mechanical updates are expected lead to a LEED Platinum certification and to show a 40 percent reduction in electricity use and a 60 percent reduction in water use compared to code requirements.
“[T]he federal government used a life-cycle cost analysis to go through the measures that were included in the building. That’s part of the rigor of the overall funding. They looked at a larger time horizon that really accounted for the life of the different systems. That was really a key. It’s a great way to think about our projects and our systems,” said Lisa Petterson of SERA Architects.
A 170,000-gallon tank will harvest rainwater and supply water for the building’s non-potable uses. Radiant heating and cooling, daylighting, smart lighting systems, and elevators that generate energy along with energy-saving façade treatments are all part of the energy reduction strategy. A rooftop photovoltaic array will offset up to six percent of the buildings energy consumption.
“The feedback we’re getting from the community is you couldn’t fit EGWW into a better location because we’ve ended up complementing existing historic architecture, architecture that defined its own era. It’s interesting how our ‘new’ EGWW fits in. And if you observe this building over a couple of days and watch the play of the light, it’s really quite stunning. It presents itself differently throughout the entire day and throughout every weather condition. I hope it’s going to be a destination building for quite a while, because it has a story to tell—being sensitive to the geography and exploiting the benefits that it already provides,” said Pat Brunner, Supervisory Project Executive, US General Services Administration.
- Gross Area: 526,596 square feet
- Construction Cost: $126 million
- Anticipated Completion: May 2013
- Program: Federal Government Offices
- Distinction: (Targeted) LEED Platinum
- Owner: US General Services Administration
- Lead Architect & Interior Design: SERA Architects
- Design Architect: Culter Anderson Architects
- Mechanical Engineer: Stantec
- Electrical Engineer: PAE Consulting Engineers
- Plumbing Engineer: Interface Engineering
- Commissioning Agent: Glumac
- Structural & Civil Engineer: KPFF Consulting Engineers
- Signage Design Consultant: Mayer/Reed
- Contraction Manager: Howard S Wright
- Mechanical Subcontractor: McKinstry
- Electrical Subcontractor: Dynalectric
- Curtainwall Subcontractor: Benson Industries
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