Historic Portland Building Revamped into LEED Platinum Mercy Corps Headquarters

<a href="http://www.mercycorps.org/">Mercy Corps</a> is an international organization that helps people sustain themselves in times of crisis, so it made sense that they wanted their new headquarters to reflect sustainability as well. Instead of building a completely new structure, <a href="http://www.thaarchitecture.com/">THA Architecture</a> chose to renovate the historic Packer-Scott building in Portland, Oregon to accommodate the new workplace. The resulting dynamic space maintains the character and charm of the storied building, while at the same time showcasing eco-friendly strategies that have earned it a LEED® Platinum rating.

The Packer-Scott building was originally built in 1892, and has long been a landmark in Portland.

The original side of the building.

In order to reflect the mission of <a href="http://www.mercycorps.org/">Mercy Corps</a>, THA restored and reused 75% the original structure.

A new building was also erected to supplement the reclaimed space and its tiled, red exterior mimics the brick of the older portion.

In addition to the reuse of existing building, the new headquarters has many sustainable features that have scored it a <a href="http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=222">LEED Platinum</a> rating.

95% of the construction waste was also recycled and 35% of the space's energy supply comes from green power. Potable water used for irrigation was reduced by 50% and potable water used for flush and flow fixtures was reduced by 75%.

There are also PV integrated glass sunscreens that shade the southern-exposed glass and 30% of <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/energy">energy</a> usage was reduced through efficiency.