Green Projects

Morken Center

Zimmer, Gunsul, Frasca Partnership, Portland pulled out all the stops when it designed a new business and mathematics building at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma. It earned a LEED Gold rating by using some cutting edge systems on the $21 million building. The building features computer equipped classrooms/laboratories, open lab, multimedia lab, electronics lab, research labs, student and faculty project workrooms, seminar and conference rooms, atrium and cafe, public events room

The 53,000-sq.ft. building was constructed by Sellen Construction in Seattle in just 13 months. Work toward LEED started with the beginning of construction, when buildings on the site were demolished and 93 percent of the debris was recycled.

Sellen has been dedicated to jobsite recycling for close to 15 years, as a way to save money.

Concrete is used in 65 percent of the building to reduce the amount of chemical cleaning products and wax needed to maintain the floors. In areas with carpeting, 60 percent of the carpet is made of recycled content. Carpet was also laid in tiles so small sections can be replaced rather than entire rooms.

Wheat board, which is made with post-industrial wheat chaff from commercial farms, is the composite material that fills the doors and makes up the cabinets.

The big energy savings and LEED points come from an underground pump system that will be used to cool and heat the building. A system of 83 geothermal pumps, located 300 feet underground provides a closed loop. Water from the underground wells cools or heats the air temperature of the building, according to the season.

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The temperature of groundwater remains a constant 52 to 54 degrees Fahrenheit, so concentrated heat energy from the water can be used to warm the building in the winter. In the summer, when air temperature is much warmer than the underground temperature, the water cools the building. The system uses less energy than traditional heating and cooling systems and is lower maintenance. The system also boasts the distinction of being 100 percent free of hydroflourocarbons, a greenhouse gas proven to deplete the ozone. The use of the geothermal system for heating and cooling means the Morken Center does not use fossil fuels.

The Columbian

Another building to use a groundwater pump system is The Columbian, located in Vancouver, Wash. Under construction by Howard S. Wright and designed by GBD, both of Portland, the building will provides four floors of office space for The Columbian newspaper with four floors to be leased. Portland developer, Gerding Edlen, is working on the project, which is expected to be a LEED Gold building.

Right in the downtown Vancouver core, the building's heat pump system functions the same way as the Morken's, exchanging heat from the groundwater to cool or heat the building, depending on the season.

Other sustainable elements include easy access to bus transportation, low VOC finishes, and a two-story atrium at the entrance that will help with the heating and cooling process.

The building is expected to be complete in 2007.