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The future is sustainability, and solar is one of many tools we must leverage to get there. But what does a truly sustainable city look like? The Living Building challenge is a holistic, rigorous certification that takes a broader perspective than many other green building certifications. After four years of hard work, a collaborative project team led by PAE, Edlen & Co., ZGF Architects, and Walsh Construction has completed an innovative urban office building: the PAE Living Building. This site offers a visionary model for the future of sustainability.

Join Solar Oregon at 5 PM on March 16 for an on-site panel discussion of this first-of-its-kind facility. We'll hear from four members of the project team, who will share the stories of what makes this building special and the unique challenges that they encountered. Afterward, you'll have the opportunity to peek at the "brains" of the building--sustainable tech geeks won't want to miss this.

Space is limited, so make sure to RSVP early for this free educational event. Paid parking is available in several nearby lots, and on-street. A bike storage unit is available on the ground floor of the building, and additional bike parking can be found on-street.

Speakers include:

Carly Harrison, Development Manager, Edlen & Co. -- Carly is a Development Manager with Edlen & Co. with a focus on the firm’s public-private partnerships and projects with nonprofits. She manages all aspects of predevelopment including underwriting, due diligence, contract management, design, entitlements, and financing. Carly brings expertise in financially structuring these integral projects, thriving on combining diverse funding sources to make them a reality. She has worked with Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, New Markets Tax Credits, tax-exempt bonds, CPACE financing, traditional debt and equity, URA and TIF funding, and various federal, state and municipal programs. Carly joined Gerding Edlen Development in 2011 and prior to her current role, she performed the financial analysis and project accounting for the firm’s development projects. Carly earned a Master of Real Estate Development from Portland State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Business from Walla Walla University.

Ed Sloop, Chief Estimator, Walsh Construction Co. -- Ed Sloop is Chief Estimator and a Senior Project Manager for Walsh Construction Co. with over 25 years of experience in the construction industry. He has been key in the estimating, system analysis, and value engineering of all of WALSH's projects in Oregon. Ed’s combined career experience includes over 500 projects consisting of many structural systems and programs. He has also worked with various green building rating systems such as Living Building, LEED and Earth Advantage and project sizes ranging from small $125k tenant improvements' up to $185M with private, public and P3 funding. Ed holds an MEM in Engineering Management from George Washington University and a BS in Mathematics from the US Naval Academy.

Milena Di Tomaso, Principal, ZGF Architects -- Milena believes in enjoying the journey. For her, a project too large or complex does not exist. From highly technical national projects with strict sustainability requirements to international embassies, she appreciates the challenge that comes with program diversity. She works to tap into the energy from each individual on her team and harness the variety of strengths to find solutions. While solutions and deliverables are of the upmost importance to Milena, she also strives to ensure all stakeholders – from clients to designers – are aligned in their expectations and have fun in the process.

Marc Brune, Principal, PAE -- Marc is a Principal and mechanical engineer with PAE. He has led the mechanical and energy-systems design for many of the world’s most prominent net-positive energy buildings, including the Bullitt Center, Rocky Mountain Institute Innovation Center, the Kendeda Building at Georgia Tech, and the PAE Living Building. He believes that designers have a responsibility to create buildings that minimize resource use and is grateful to be part of a design community working toward a net zero carbon future. Marc holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Washington and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Portland.

Thank you to our sponsor Energy Trust of Oregon: