The June Key Delta Community Center was the first building completed in Portland, Oregon for the Living Building Challenge and is a registered and certified project located in the historic Albina district. As a former gas station and brownfield site, construction included complete remediation of the site prior to construction. Incorporated are several unique features, one of which included the reuse of shipping containers as an integral part of the project’s design. A water reclamation system was installed to capture rainwater for reuse as gray water for lavatory and irrigation systems. As part of the geothermal system, photovoltaic solar panels capture the sun’s powerful rays to be converted into energy in the form of A/C power used in the building with additional energy redirected back to the electrical grid.
Named in honor of June Roe Runnells Key, a well-known and respected educator of the Portland Public School District and a charter member of the Beta Psi Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, where her focus on economic development in 1945 continues to inspire us today.