Casey Becomes First LEED Platinum Condo

The Casey Condominiums in the Pearl District have been certified by the US Green Building Council at the top 'platinum' level of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). That makes the Gerding Edlen-developed, GBD Architects designed building the first high-rise condominium residence in the country to reach this highest standard of green building.

This is Gerding and GBD's third LEED platinum project, following the Gerding Theater (the nation’s first platinum historic renovation and performing arts center), and Oregon Health Science University’s Center for Health & Healing (the nation’s first and largest LEED platinum medical office building). Gerding Edlen also has 38 LEED projects in its portfolio, more than any other developer in the country.

The Casey achieved all of the 55 LEED credits it applied for, exceeding the 52 required for platinum. The building incorporates reduced usage of fossil fuels; sustainable, regional, renewable and low-VOC materials; water-efficient fixtures and appliances; glazing to reduce glare and heat gain; an eco-roof for storm water management and to reduce the heat island effect; efficient mechanical equipment; a solar PV system to provide renewable energy to the building; and ERVs (Energy Recovery Ventilators) in each unit that recover exhausted (waste) heat and use it to preheat incoming fresh air. These features are expected to achieve a 52 percent energy savings over a code-compliant building.

The Casey is also one of three high-rises across the country participating in a pilot Energy Star for High Rise Multifamily Building rating system.  Multifamily high-rise structures are a unique hybrid of residential and commercial, and currently have no clear methodology for establishing high performance under the Energy Star labeling program. The Energy Trust of Oregon, which is coordinating the pilot rating system on behalf of the EPA, is using the Casey to inform the development of this new standard.

The Portland Mercury's Matt Davis once called the sight of The Casey's colorful precast panels "puke curry". But it's got matchless green qualities, and it's also a wonderful precedent for Pearl condos to be built on a quarter-block. It's not necessarily my favorite visually, but I'd withhold any comments about Indian food or gastro-intestinal problems. Architecture also needs a lot more color. And I think The Casey still looks better than most Portland condos in large part because of this quarter-block scale, which proportionally seems favorable to most half-block or full-block behemoths out there.

Congrats to Gerding and GBD on another piece of platinum for their mantle.

Comments

[BILLB]

I find this to be the only interesting building in the pearl.
As a walker , I see it from all
angles and distances , and it provides many atractive poetic compositional vistas. The panels of the exterior are all subtly
unique , and give character in varied light. The color , which some mysteriously dislike , is for me , often the only warm object on the horizon. [especially given the blindingly dull other buildings in the S. Pearl]

[anon]

I love the warmth of color this building brings to the neighborhood. Especially during the long periods of continual overcast days we see in Portland. I wonder, when people complain of the addition of color to our local architecture, would they have preferred yet another brick, cream, beige, grey concrete, high-rise?

Local blogs seem to be the source of constant complaint over this and that... not enough variety in new Pearl buildings, too stubby, bricks not white enough, balconies not red enough, balconies too red. Has anyone else had their fill of the constant gripping? Or maybe that is the whole point; the internets offers largest platform ever for the everyman to speak his/her disgruntled voice.

[BP]

Curry? Give me a break, I'd agree with the comments above, the Casey stands out as one of the best condo projects to come out of the Pearl.

[Matt Davis]

Hp...hpppp....hplerghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

[Double J]

Hey, I like the cladding... I don't think the "warm" color is so much the issue in the Pearl it's the insincerity of faux brick on a 12 story + building. At least the Casey looks and feels comfortable in its own (green) skin.

What is the deal with all the brick?

It's not like brick could "warm up" a mile high skyscraper... it would only emphasize its sillier aspects.

With the Casey's success let's hope there will be more varigation of surface and materials.

[gadds]

Brick is not a problem per se. Most (all?) of the brick in the Pearl is faux insofar as the architects want it to look load bearing...which it isn't. I respect brick if it is detailed honestly as a cladding system.

[k]

we need more buildings that push the elements a little bit - surprising someone from the Mercury would put his name on such conventional wisdom - but hey nothing like some shock value and they certainly have the credentials to be archictectural critics - purely subjective!

[Nikos]

I love how the Casey looks, I think people passed judgement on the cladding too early, when all they had to go by was parts of the surface. Another building that really is coming together visually is the 937, the red balconies against the pattern of the windows looks gorgeous!(Take a second look at it!)

[anon.]

Yeah, we definitely need more buildings with condos that cost over half a million dollars. Great. Portland is being ruined by architects.

[Brian Libby]

That's not fair, Anon. The architects are designing for developer clients who set the price points. And that's largely determined by the market. You make it sound like a bunch of local architects got together to hatch a scheme for building only Taj Mahals and screwing working people. It is true, of course, that we need to find a way to build more workforce and affordable housing in the Pearl and elsewhere, but many believe the high-priced condos are the first wave of an eventual move into more market-rate affordable stuff. I certainly don't want to apologize for a bunch of condos being built that I, like most, can't afford. But with all due respect (because I appreciate your input even as I disagree), there's no benefit in over-simplifying and mis-characterizing.

[Chuck]

The write-up and the comments here seem to void the fact that this is a FUBU (For us by us) project. If I am not mistaken, both Mark Edlen and Bob Gerding both have units in this building along with others in the development community. To me, the fact that this is LEED Platinum is completely offset by indulgence of it's inhabitants. Sure they may have energy saving fixtures, but 3 times as many. Some units are even being retrofit into two story volumes. The point made that these units will someday inspire more market rate condos in the Pearl is fundamentally flawed. The economics of this building are so far out of reach, they don't even relate to the market. The folks who live here are none but Portland's premier developer (and friends). It's frustrating... All that being said, I actually like the look of the building.

[gc]

At first, I agreed that Luxury condos don't exactly scream sustainability, and the Casey is certainly not a case study of how to provide green housing for the masses, but then I realized that in most other metropolitan regions in this country, the top 1 percent of the wealthiest citizens build giant mcmansions on multi-acre plots. At the Casey, they are living on top of each other in 1/4 of a block. Materials and energy efficiencies aside, that alone is worth a big pat on the back from those of us trying to green our world.