The Brewery Blocks — Brewery Block 4 Daylighting and Climate Control

Brewery Block 4 is one of five blocks redeveloped as part of an effort to revitalize the old Blitz-Weinhard Brewery District in downtown Portland. The Brewery Blocks successfully incorporate historically significant buildings — brewery relics such as two 4,500-gallon grain towers — and new construction to form an environment that is reminiscent of the area’s industrial past yet promising of a sustainable, progressive future.

The building provides market-rate, Class-A commercial office space while boasting 23.5% electrical energy savings over ASHRAE 90.1 per year. Block 4 demonstrates the benefits of coupling sustainable design and construction with district planning in an effort to create a more symbiotic relationship between the built and natural environments.

Environmental Aspects

A setback on the south side of the building was intentionally designed to enable solar access that provides daylighting and power-generation opportunities.

Roughly half of the rainwater falling on the building will travel through an ecoroof located on the building’s south-side setback. The ecoroof reduces the runoff rate, mitigates the volume of stormwater delivered to the municipal storm/sewer system, and reduces the urban heat-island effect.

Operable windows offer tenants additional climate control and provide access to ambient breezes.

Brewery Block 4 is expected to earn a Silver (and possibly a Gold) rating in the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Rating System (LEED).

Owner & Occupancy

• Owned by Gerding/Edlen Development Company, LLC, Corporation, for-profit
• Occupants: Corporation, for-profit

Brewery Block 4 is occupied by a diverse group of tenants ranging from PF Chang’s China Bistro to the Art Institute of Portland.