Natural Capital Center

The Natural Capital Center, formally known as the Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center and informally as the Ecotrust Building, is a notable example of green building in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was the first historic redevelopment in the U.S. to receive a gold-level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) award from the U.S. Green Building Council.[1] The building houses a mix of public and private, nonprofit and for-profit tenants.[2]

Natural Capital Center
Viewed from the southeast in 2017
Location in Portland
Former names
  • McCraken Company Building
  • Central Truck Terminal (or Portland Truck Terminal)
Alternative namesEcotrust Building
General information
TypeMultiuse
Architectural styleRomanesque
Location721 NW 9th Avenue
Portland, Oregon
Coordinates45.52834°N 122.68061°W / 45.52834; -122.68061
Construction started1895
Completed1896
Renovated1999–2001
Renovation cost$12.4 million[1]
OwnerEcotrust Properties, LLC
Technical details
Floor count3
Floor area70,000 sq ft (6,500 m2)[1]
The building's north end

History and redevelopment

The timber and brick structure that is now the Natural Capital Center was built in 1895 as a warehouse for the J. McCraken Company,[3][4] who used it until 1902[5] and continued to own it for some years thereafter. The building's recessed rounded-arch entry, arched window openings and massive heft exemplify the Romanesque style. Located between two railroad freight yards, the McCraken wholesale company distributed Monterey sand, Tenino sandstone and other building supplies. In 1929, the building became the Portland Truck Terminal,[6] a freight terminal used by around 20 trucking companies.[7] Then from 1941 to 1997 it housed the Rapid Transfer & Storage Company.[8]

In 1998, Ecotrust, a nonprofit conservation organization, purchased the building with a donation from then board member Jean Vollum. Redevelopment of the 70,000-square-foot (6,500 m2) building cost $12.4 million[1] and was completed in September 2001. The idea that a conservation organization would shift focus from protecting forests and watersheds to participating in urban renewal was an unusual and controversial one. Ecotrust board member Jane Jacobs and Ecotrust council member Stewart Brand were notable supporters of the plan.

Re-opened to the public in 2001, the building was named the Natural Capital Center to reflect the ideas in ecological economics. The Natural Capital Center was the first LEED gold-certified building in the Pacific Northwest.[1] The building has a mix of "green" tenants, including Patagonia, Hot Lips Pizza, ShoreBank Pacific, and Portfolio 21. The City of Portland's Office of Sustainable Development, created in 2001, was originally located in the Natural Capital Center, occupying 5,000 sq ft (460 m2) in the building.[9] It moved out in 2009, after being merged with the City's Planning Bureau and renamed the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability.[10]

The Natural Capital Center has been cited as an inspiration for the Green Exchange in Chicago, which was built in 2007.[11]

Green building features

As a reused building, energy was conserved during its construction by manufacturing significantly fewer materials.[12] Two-thirds of the new wood used in the Natural Capital Center was Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified.[13] The building has also included rubber flooring from post-consumer recycled rubber tires.[14]

An annex to the original building was deconstructed, and throughout the redevelopment, 98% of all debris was reused, recycled or reclaimed.[1]

The Natural Capital Center received a LEED rating of 41 out of 69 possible points.[15]

References
  1. Libby, Brian (March 2002). "LEEDing the Way: Natural Capital Center, Viridian Place win environmental 'seal of approval" (PDF). Daily Journal of Commerce. Portland, Oregon. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 29, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2017 – via Green Building Services website.
  2. BuildingGreen, Inc. "High Performance Buildings Database: Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center, Overview" Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine U.S. Green Building Council, Cascadia Chapter website. Accessed May 10, 2007.
  3. "Good For Building: The Weather Has Favored Rapid Progress by Workmen". The Morning Oregonian. November 25, 1895. p. 5.
  4. "City News in Brief: McCraken's Warehouse Roofed". The Morning Oregonian. December 23, 1895. p. 5.
  5. "City News in Brief". The Sunday Oregonian. April 27, 1902. Section 1, p. 5, col. 2. The J. McCraken Company has moved ....
  6. "Terminal Provided by Trucking Company; Facilities Will Be Largest in Portland". The Sunday Oregonian. May 26, 1929. Section 6, p. 10.
  7. "Truck Terminal Opened: 20 Freight Lines to Operate From New Headquarters to All Parts of Northwest". The Morning Oregonian. June 12, 1929. p. 21.
  8. Von Hagen, Bettina; Kellogg, Erin; Frerichs, Eugenie, eds. (2003). Rebuilt Green: The Natural Capital Center and the Transformative Power of Building. Ecotrust. ISBN 0-9676364-2-6.
  9. Office of Sustainable Development (March 2003). "ReThinking Development: Portland's Strategic Investment in Green Building Progress Report, FY 2000-2002". City of Portland. p. 15. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  10. Office of the City Auditor (April 2012). "Downtown office space: City uses most of its owned space, but lease practices need attention". City of Portland. pp. 14–15. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  11. Schneider, Keith. "SQUARE FEET; In Chicago, a Haven For Green Enterprise" The New York Times, July 25, 2007. Accessed September 4, 2007.
  12. Architecture Week. "Historic Warehouse Grows Green" Architecture Week, December 19, 2001. Accessed May 10, 2007.
  13. BuildingGreen, LLC "High Performance Buildings Database: Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center, Materials & Resources" U.S. Green Building Council, Cascadia Chapter website. Accessed May 10, 2007.
  14. Frerichs, Eugénie "Materials Guide to the Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center" Ecotrust. Accessed May 10, 2007.
  15. BuildingGreen, Inc. "High Performance Buildings Database: Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center, Ratings" U.S. Green Building Council, Cascadia Chapter website. Accessed May 10, 2007.

Further reading

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