Twelve West

By Henry Thomas

General Information

• Portland, Oregon

Designed by the ZGF architects to house an architecture firm, apartments, and parking

Adaptive Reuse

Ecological Materials and Resources Used

Bamboo was used as flooring and casework.

FSC- certified wood is used for offices as floors and walls

Concrete is used, it works well because it is a low maintenance material.

They used recycled or salvaged wood, even reclaimed wood when building Twelve West

Naturally occurring materials were also used.

Energy Efficiency

Dual flush and low flow fixtures are used in the bathrooms.

The rooftop gardens harvest rainwater, this save

Low impact materials

Energy Efficiency

Water efficiency through low flow and dual flush fixtures.

The building is expected to save up to 286, 225 gallons through rainwater harvesting.

The landscpae uses indigenous vegetation.

Low water toilets

Incentives for using environmentally friendly ways to commute like biking or walking or taking the bus.

47% reduction in potable water.

Day lighting

Natural Ventilation

Night Flush of Thermal Mass

A large solar thermal array on the roof.

Wind turbines

Automatic dimming of electro-fluorescent lights

Site Ecology

Retention of water through fixtures and rainwater collection.

Indigenous plants

6,000 square foot roof garden.

Plants reduce the Urban Heat Island Effect.

Built atop an old parking complex that was hurting the local environment.

Incentives for non-automobile transport.

Water resources

Maximum water efficiency is achieved through a combination of conservation and rainwater.

The reuse of rainwater is projected to save 286, 225 gallons of water each year.

Water-efficient showerheads and faucets.

Grey Water recycling.

The rainwater harvested on the roof takes care of all irrigation and 90% of office toilet flushing needs.

Cost Implications

The rainwater harvesting system will pay back its cost as part of the building in 47.2 years.

Chilled beams in the offices will pay its cost back in about 14 years.

When the building was being built the city of Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services cut the Systems Development Charge by 30%,

which saved the architects $204, 840.

Twelve West is projected to save 46% saving on energy over a baseline standard.

Vocabulary• Terraces- patio: usually paved outdoor area adjoining a residence• Natural materials- a material is a product or physical matter that comes from plants, animals, or the ground. Also minerals and metals

extracted from the earth belong in this category.• Casework- Casework is the aggregate assembled parts which make up a case or cabinet.• FSC-certified wood- wood that is certified under the standards set by FSC or the Forest Stewardship Council.• Low-impact materials- waste, recycled, reclaimed, timber from a sustainably managed source or local materials sourced from within 35

miles• Urban heat island effect- is a metropolitan area which is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas.• Low-flow- fixtures that use less water than other fixtures. In toilets a low flow fixture uses as little as 1.6 gallons.• Dual-flush- a variation of the flush toilet that uses two buttons or handles to flush different levels of water• Irrigation- an artificial application of water to the soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes,

and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall• Storm water- a water that originates during precipitation events• Indigenous- a species is defined as indigenous or native to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only

natural processes, with no human intervention• Potable water- water of sufficiently high quality that it can be consumed or used without risk of immediate or long term harm• Day lighting- practice of placing windows or other openings and reflective surfaces so that during the day natural light provides effective

internal lighting.• Natural ventilation- the process of supplying and removing air through an indoor space by natural means• Night flush of thermal mass- Maximizing natural ventilation for energy conservation through architectural features• Solar thermal array- technology for harnessing solar energy for thermal energy• Gray water- wastewater generated from domestic activities such as laundry, dishwashing, and bathing, which can be recycled on-site for

uses such as landscape irrigation and constructed wetlands• Chilled beams- uses water to remove heat from a room, based on induction terminal units that were applied in past years• Systems Development Charge- a fee that is implemented by a local government on a new or proposed development to help assist or pay

for a portion of the costs that the new development may cause with public services to the new development within the United States

Twelve West