Command central for a global team of 4,000 professionals who run disaster relief and community development programs in over 40 countries, Mercy Corps needs an efficient base of operations. But its Portland, Oregon, “headquarters” was scattered in six leased locations around the city. “We were ready to build a home that would consolidate the different aspects of the organization and reflect our values,” recalls CEO Neal Keny-Guyer. Inasmuch as these values include accountability, sustainable resource management, and the wise allocation of funds, the 30-year-old nonprofit agency negotiated the affordable acquisition of a blighted riverside landmark, the Packer-Scott building (circa 1892), from the Portland Development Commission — part of an urban improvement initiative for the economically challenged downtown neighborhood it occupied.
Charged with the sensitive renovation, the Portland firm THA Architecture worked with Mercy Corps to create a scheme that would qualify for LEED certification, as well as the tax credits and grants needed to bolster the reasonable purchase price and fund-raising profits. Maintaining the integrity of the existing 42,000-square-foot masonry structure, the architects nearly doubled its footprint and mass with a terra-cotta-clad addition that integrates with the historic property without mimicking it.
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