An excerpt from Walls & Ceilings July 2016 Magazine: “The Breathe Building in Portland was designed to be the most sustainable wellness and community center in the United States. The project is the first commercial building in the Northwest built to the Earth Advantage Silver Certification, a third-party green building standard that stresses the importance of sustainable products and a building’s impact on the environment and its community. The building was designed with an emphasis on occupant comfort, energy and water efficiency, IAQ, and the use of recycled and responsible material.” 

Key Achievements

  • Performance well beyond codes and regulatory requirement, with third party certification Earth Advantage Silver Certification

  • CertainTeed team worked with the contractor to ensure products were red list compliant

  • Construction materials were recycled, donated or reused whenever possible

  • The locations of our surrounding plants helped meet the requirements for locally sourced material

  • The construction of the building was a community project. Over 2000 volunteer hours were donated throughout construction.

  • Ongoing community education: Plaques throughout building reference sustainable building materials

  • Project completed on time

Key Challenges

  • In order to meet stringent environmental requirements, materials used in the building could not contain any material listed on the material red list. The products that contractors typically used which contained such materials needed to be switched to match stringent requirements. AirRenew drywall was an approved product due to its Declare label and close plant proximity. The formaldehyde scavenging ability allowed for the use of AirRenew as well as our other products. CertainTeed Technical Services wrote a letter outlining the materials in GlasRoc Sheathing for its approval.

The Breathe Building of Portland, Oregon