Case Study: Twelve West, Portland, Oregon

Twelve West is best known in the neighborhood for its four rooftop wind turbines but, as developer Dennis Wilde of Gerding Edlen Development points out, those “are just a bit of frosting.” The more meaningful green strategy of this building is not so easy to see. That’s partly because it’s hidden inside the walls and systems, with predicted savings of nearly 50 percent in both energy and water use. Also less obvious is how the project revitalizes its surroundings.

A classic example of urban mixed-use development, Twelve West has retail spaces on the ground floor; an architectural office for the building’s designers, Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects (ZGF), on the next four floors; then 17 floors of apartments topped by roof decks; and five levels of parking below the building. It has become an instant anchor for the West End, an up-and-coming neighborhood between Portland’s flourishing Pearl District and its central business area. Thanks to this project, chilled water from Portland’s district cooling system is now available in this part of town.