Net Zero Buildings magazine featured the Ross Maintenance Headquarters project for Bonneville Power Administration. Delving into the details with Principal Mike Shea, the article covers the project’s many features that contribute to its net zero energy use and high degree of sustainability.

A Portland-area base for the Bonneville Power Administration’s (BPA) transmission line and substation maintenance crews, substation operators, control technicians, and support engineers, the Ross facility is designed to the highest seismic resistance criteria for complete functionality after an earthquake.

In fact, according to Mike Shea, a principal with Portland-based Soderstrom Architects, the ability to be a true 24/7/365-operation, in order for the entity to be able to launch emergency repairs on power lines and substations, was the very driver that made net zero a reality.

“It’s no secret the Pacific Northwest is due for an earthquake in the not-so-distant future,” says the firm principal. “So what BPA really wanted was a mission-critical facility with on-site power capability, for if there is an earthquake, the linemen will be ready,” says Shea, adding BPA is an organization run for, and by engineers, “so they’re always looking for ways to address weaknesses in the system.”