Situated between the Northeast Portland neighborhoods of Cully and Concordia, the Portland Community College (PCC) Opportunity Center at 42nd Avenue has a history of providing customized training, career exploration and educational opportunities to a diverse workforce. However, the old, retrofitted Safeway that housed this center was in desperate need of a total rebuild to expand its community-based efforts.

With a high-performance trauma-informed design at its core, the Opportunity Center has been transformed into a sustainable hub of community empowerment. The collaborative effort among sustainability-focused teams helps provide a space for future program expansion including affordable housing, childcare and a health clinic. This holistic approach to sustainability goes beyond the structural components of a building, also encompassing the sustainability of the mental, emotional and physical success of its residents.

“The Opportunity Center exemplifies sustainability in a more holistic way. It’s not just about one element but about the broader elements of sustainability, starting with the building, and then the people, and then the programs and then the community.”

— Katrina Shum Miller of Lensa Consulting

Read the PCC Opportunity Center at 42nd Avenue case study.