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View our 2008 Progress Report and Green Building Objectives
General Green Building Information for the City of Corvallis
The City of Corvallis is encouraging sustainable design and construction in our community. The City promotes green building in two ways: (a) leading by example ; and (b) by providing resources for our community members who wish to build it green through their own initiatives.
By providing green building resources for staff, the City is meeting its educational goals around green building, which grew out of the City's sustainability efforts, and is also meeting its customer service goals by being able to provide similar resources for our customers. Currently the City is exploring both avenues to encourage sustainable building practices in our community. The City's Sustainability Steering Committee is exploring creation of City Policies that will lessen the environmental impacts of City facilities. The City's Fire Station # 5 is one example of how the City of Corvallis is incorporating sustainable building principles into its own facilities.
Additionally, step-by-step, the City is providing additional resources and tools to our community to learn about and implement green building construction practices. The green building program is intended to inform our government, our citizens, and our builders about the benefits of using building principles and products.
Green Buildings Around Corvallis
There are several examples of public and privately-owned buildings in Corvallis that have incorporated green building design concepts and strategies. Many of these buildings have gone the extra step of obtaining industry standard certifications such as LEED, Energy Star, or EarthAdvantage.
City Facilities - Energy / LEED Requirements
Administrative Green Building Policy for City Facilities
Do I have to "build it green" ?
No. The City of Corvallis does not have a mandated green building program or related requirements at this time. These green building information pages are being provided as an educational service. Refer to the City's adopted Building Codes for information about energy performance requirements and other building code information
What are the Benefits?
By selecting building products that are designed to lessen their impact on our environment, we consciously choose to improve the condition of our environment. By using products free of biologically harmful chemicals, we make our environments (both inside and outside) safer for ourselves and for those who occupy our built spaces. By selecting products that have been recycled we limit the amount of material that finds its way into our landfills or our roadsides. It also makes good financial sense to design with conservation in mind, by reducing the excess in our built environment and reusing our buildings where practical. By choosing energy efficient building products and appliances, we can lower our monthly energy bills.
What are the Incentives?
There are many financial incentives to green building. National and state programs provide tax rebates and credits for purchasing materials that are more energy efficient. There is also a rapidly growing market for green built homes and buildings. See additional green building resources for more information.
Why Corvallis?
Our community actually has been "building it green" for many years. Many examples of this can be seen throughout our community through passive and active solar design, passive daylighting techniques, preservation of vegetation to increase energy efficiency, use of green building products, reusing existing buildings, and more.
Through land use regulations, limits on urban growth, and use of our many miles of bicycle and hiking trails, we lessen our need to use the automobile, and our health benefits from this approach to urban design. That is something we can all breathe easier about.
The City’s Comprehensive Plan is a guiding tool for the way our community grows, and green building policies are inherent in that Plan.
For More Information:
Please contact the Development Services Division at 541-766-6929 or via e-mail
with any questions about the City's green building activities.
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