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founder Brian Heather describes his Portland-based business as a design-build firm, but that’s just scratching the surface of what the company does.

Heather started the firm in October 2008 just as the recession hit, a situation that SolTerra was able to leverage to its advantage.

鈥淲e were able to get some good people,鈥� Heather said.

SolTerra quickly earned a foothold in the local building industry by designing and installing green roofs and living walls. Eventually, with an eye toward being able to control the entire process of the projects SolTerra worked on, Heather decided to shift the firm’s focus, moving to an all in-house approach 鈥� starting with development and design and carrying through construction to ownership 鈥� that now allows SolTerra to maintain control of the end product in a way that fulfills the firm’s mission and Heather’s vision.

鈥淚 realized we could better achieve our goals by taking over the process,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e became a design-build firm.鈥�

The move has paid off. While the firm still works on a handful of green roof and living wall projects each year for outside clients, it mainly focuses on its own projects. SolTerra’s platinum-rated LEED project,, has been open for a year. Another project called will be done in a couple of months.

The firm also is keeping busy constructing a new net-zero headquarters building that Heather says is being built to meet to the AIA’s 2030 challenge. In order to meet that goal, the approximately 35,000-square-foot building will feature insulated concrete forms, which Heather describes as 鈥渓ike giant Legos of Styrofoam filled with concrete.鈥�

鈥淲e’re going all out,鈥� Heather said. 鈥淲e’re really pushing the envelope.鈥�

The building also likely will stand out in Portland for other design aspects as well: from a park on the roof to a rooted tree that will grow from the fifth floor out of the top of the structure to the outside.

Once completed, the new headquarters building will provide plenty of space for SolTerra to expand its research and development efforts, allowing staff to test and fine-tune a range of proprietary systems that will likely one day end up in future projects.

鈥淲e want to educate and create transparency,鈥� Heather said, 鈥渁nd raise the bar for what’s out there.鈥�