Many businesses are jumping on the green bandwagon, but Walsh Construction Co. has been building green since before it was cool. The Portland-based company, founded by brothers Tom and Bob Walsh in the sixties, today has a reputation as one of the nation’s top builders of sustainable multi-family housing.

Not just any housing, either. Much of WCC’s focus is on helping affordable housing agencies such as HUD and Northwest Housing Alternatives — and other non-profits like EcoTrust — renovate or build quality, energy-efficient and sustainable buildings.

Often, says WCC Vice President Andrew Beyer, an organization can renovate an old building for less than the cost of a new one — the ultimate in recycling — while still building in modern, efficient and renewable technology that saves on costs over the long term.

One such project is Mercy Corps’ new global headquarters in the old Skidmore Fountain Building in Old Town Portland. A team that included WCC and THA Architecture built a cutting-edge facility that includes a new wing, seismic upgrades, and green-building elements throughout.

The building is on track for LEED-Platinum certification, with measures such as rooftop solar panels and a green roof, natural ventilation, recycled building materials and energy-efficient but period-appropriate windows, among other things. In addition to their environmental benefits, Beyer says, these design elements will improve Mercy Corps’ energy efficiency and help keep its overhead costs low over the life of the building.

Projects like this, and sustainability efforts at its own headquarters, will help the team at WCC keep its 2009 Save More, Matter More™ pledge: To dedicate themselves to “being the most sustainable, energy-efficient multi-unit housing general contractor in the Northwestern United States.”