Recreational Equipment Inc.'s Northwest Portland store earns gold

Daily Journal of Commerce (Portland, OR), Nov 24, 2004 by Stephanie Basalyga

A Portland store has become the first retail location in the nation to earn a gold rating in the recently unveiled LEED for Commercial Interiors green building program.

Building green has been a tradition for Recreational Equipment Inc. for decades. So when the national retail cooperative that sells outdoor gear and clothing, decided to open a Portland location at the corner of Northwest 14th Avenue and Northwest Johnson Street, there was little doubt the store would feature abundant sustainable features - or who would design it.

As it did in 1996 when it opened a Seattle store, REI turned to Mithun Architects for interior and exterior design help with its Portland location. The partners, along with a project team that included Howard S. Wright Construction, set about turning 37,500 square feet of space, located on the first two floors of a 10-story, mixed-use building in Portland's Pearl District, into a sustainable showroom featuring locally manufactured materials.

Among the sustainable features of the store: low-water restroom fixtures expected to reduce water use by 32 percent over traditional fixtures, high windows to maximize natural light augmented with photo cells to reduce reliance on electric lighting, and carpeting. In addition, 96 percent of construction waste from the project was recycled instead of being carted off to landfills.

The decision to pursue a gold rating in the commercial interiors program of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System run by the U.S. Green Building Council provided new and valuable lessons that REI expects to add to its sustainable repertoire in the future.

We really learned a lot working through the LEED-certification process during design and construction of our Portland store, said Jerry Chevassus, REI vice president of real estate.

The lessons learned during the REI project may serve as a guide for other retail outlets around the country seeking to earn LEED ratings for commercial interiors.

Earning a gold distinction is tough, said Rick Redrizzi, the green building council's president, chief executive officer and founding chairman. REI's rating is a testament to this company's commitment to environmental responsibility and a model for other retailers.