The data is in: PAE Living Building now is officially one

After demonstrating exceptional performance during a full year of operation, the PAE Living Building in Portland has earned living building certification from the International Living Future Institute . The certification confirms the building meets the most rigorous sustainability standard and is among the most resilient structures in the world.

The five-story, 58,000-square-foot, mixed-use building, in Old Town, is the first fully certified living building in Portland and the 35th worldwide.

The Living Building Challenge (LBC) requires a 12-month post-occupancy performance period. During that time, data is collected to verify that a building’s energy and water use are net-positive. The PAE Living Building’s official period was from January 2023 through December 2023.

“We had to be (nearly) full also,” PAE principal Marc Brune said. “Eighty-five percent leased out was the target.”

In summer 2022, that target was reached. Half of the building’s second floor, programmed for an office tenant, is still available for lease.

The PAE Living Building is the first certified living building that is both located in a metropolitan area and developer-driven. The building was a private development funded through a partnership featuring Downtown Development Group , PAE , Edlen & Co. , ZGF , Walsh Construction Co. , and Apex Real Estate Partners .

The LBC includes seven “petals,” or performance categories: energy, water, place, health and happiness, equity, beauty, and materials. The team must provide a narrative and description for each petal, as well as provide data on water and energy use.

For the certification process, one of the challenges for the PAE Living Building team was the materials petal. A vetting process was used to ensure every single material used in the building would measure up, said Kathy Berg, a ZGF partner and the design lead for the project. The team had to find products that do not have any chemicals of concern by first working within the International Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) list. If a product was not available, and a substitution could not be found, the team tried to push the market, she said.

“You ask for those chemicals to be removed from those products from different manufacturers,” Berg said.

If a project team cannot secure a suitable alternative, it can get an exception to use a product with an illicit chemical. The materials process has areas of opportunity to improve and be more efficient, Berg said.

Over the performance period, the PAE Living Building generated 113 percent of the energy needed to power itself from on-site and off-site solar panels. That exceeded the LBC minimum requirement of 105 percent.

The building’s solar array did not generate as much energy in the first year as anticipated, Brune said. The team has made corrections and replaced some equipment. The solar array is expected to start producing more energy this year.

The team predicted the building would be at 19 Energy Use Intensity (EUI) the amount of energy used per square foot annually, Brune said. The building performed even better at 16 EUI.

Also, the PAE Living Building collected and treated 100 percent of water needed for all functions. Such needs are met via on-site rainwater capture. The building also features gray water treatment, nutrient recovery, and a five-story, vacuum-flush, composting toilet system. The circular system produces liquid fertilizer and agriculture-grade compost on-site, providing the building owners with another income source.

“I think what’s been really fun to watch is how many different community events have happened in this space,” Berg said.

More than 3,400 people have toured the building since its opening.

The project can be replicated, Berg said. Both PAE and ZGF are looking at different project types that can be living buildings. PAE would like to explore how the LBC could apply to affordable housing, Brune said, but added that such projects would be challenging due to water use.

“I had high expectations for this building,” Brune said. “I like it better than I thought I would.”

The PAE Living Building is a real feather in Portland’s cap, Berg said, noting that ZGF hopes to be able to contribute to more such projects in Portland and beyond.

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