(H01) Resiliency in Action: The Making of the Oregon Treasury Building

The new 33,770 square foot Oregon Treasury Administrative Office Building is designed to meet the highest level of resiliency and has been distinguished as the highest rated USRC Platinum building in Oregon and first USRC base isolated structure in the United States. In addition, the building is designed to mitigate risk and loss of operation and functionality after a 9.0 seismic event with the ability to withstand other disruptive events such as pandemic and climate induced events (flooding and poor air quality from forest fires). With a life expectancy of 100 years, the facility is designed to be net-positive energy, completely independent from the electrical grid, sourcing energy from its own operational microgrid and energy management systems (battery energy storage system, photovoltaics, and generators). All the systems and design features implemented in this high performing building are critical for the Department of Treasury to function and serve their constituents, financially supporting state and public agencies, as well as millions of Oregonians who rely on uninterrupted operation after a significant seismic event.

The Oregon Treasury Administrative Office Building has been recognized as a successful example of resilient design and was featured in a New York Times article about building resiliency. Resulting in positive coverage from the US Resiliency Council, as well as being awarded Oregon AIA’s 2030 award in 2022. The intent of the session is to educate the audience on the business case which justifies building a resilient structure, which we believe is replicable for many public and private organizations. We will detail the risk and hazard identification process that was utilized, and how building resilient features were deployed to manage them.