When Meyer Memorial Trust decided to build a new headquarters, the Oregon foundation wanted to create a space that represented its values.

“Meyer’s mission centers on equity, sustainability and justice,” said Phoebe O’Leary, director of business systems and operations at Meyer. “We see our new headquarters as the embodiment of our mission.”

And by choosing to relocate to the Albina neighborhood (the historic heart of Portland’s Black community), Meyer sought to be closer to many of the organizations it supports—and to create “a space for healing, welcoming and reflecting on the history of the area, but also really looking forward to the future,“ said Anyeley Hallová, partner at the real estate developer project^. To that end, Hallová and project^ assembled a diverse leadership team that was committed to Meyer’s vision and worked to make it a reality.

Meyer’s new headquarters also features an eGauge energy metering system, which displays the building’s energy use and solar electric production in real time via a display in the lobby. Taking a wholistic approach to water management, the project also included infiltrating all stormwater on-site, installing low-flow plumbing fixtures and reducing outdoor water use with native plants and efficient irrigation systems. For efficiency and indoor air quality, the building utilizes a variable refrigerant flow system coupled with a dedicated outside air unit with MERV 13 filtration.

Sustainability is further embedded at the material level. Specifically, 85% of the timber used for the building met the definition of “sustainable wood,” with 49% certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, encouraging climate-smart forestry.