DaVinci School in NY Times

A recent blog post from the NY Times showed "A prototype green classroom addition under construction at the Da Vinci Arts Middle School in Portland, Ore. includes natural daylighting, passive heating and cooling systems, solar roof tiles and other green features that yield a 70 percent efficiency improvement over Oregon building code requirements."

:: image via NY Times Blog

The project by SRG Partnership and the University of Oregon’s Energy Studies in Buildings Lab was aided by pro-bono services from GreenWorks for site improvements and land use issues. Read the full NYT post about this innovative project here, as well as some additional local coverage in the DJC here.

Franklin High School Bike Parking

Some great comments around one of GreenWorks pro-bono projects. Associate Alexandra Perove has been work with Franklin High School to create expanded bike parking facilities... and aside from the final touches of plants and some seatwalls, the project is looking good. A snippet from 'Local high school does bike parking right', recently posted by Jonathan Maus on the BikePortland.org blog.

Posted by Jonathan Maus (Editor) on May 6th, 2009 at 8:00 am (all text and photos from BikePortland.org - check out the article for more pics and an interesting comment stream)

"Local high school does bike parking right

When students and staff arrive at the campus of Benjamin Franklin High School in Southeast Portland (5405 SE Woodward), they’re greeted with an important message: Bikes are respected, encouraged, and accommodated for.

The message isn’t something you read on a poster. It’s implied — by rows of perfectly spaced staple racks installed on concrete slabs surrounded by attractive cobblestones and located smack dab near the main entrance of the school. (A roof would make this parking perfect, and sources say that’s in the works). There are 18 staple racks, room for 36 bikes. With the generous spacing between them, cargo bikes, bikes with trailers, recumbents and even freak bikes have plenty of breathing room (for themselves and their owners). According to Jeff Smith at the Bureau of Transportation, the racks were installed with the help of parent volunteer Jeremy Sarant and Franklin High students. The school has a vocational/technical focus so students from a shop class prepped the area, poured the concrete and installed the cobblestones. (Smith says they plan on covering the racks soon). The total cost of the project was about $2000, with $900 spent on racks and $1100 on installation. Funds for the project came from a small pot (less than $5,000 total, that is used for hundreds of racks at schools throughout the city) that Smith sets aside each year for bike parking at schools and special events. Smith uses the money specifically for schools that aren’t a part of the federally funded Safer Routes to Schools program. Here’s more from Smith:

“This came out of the realization that if you wait for schools to fund bike parking, you’re likely to be waiting a long time — it’s just not going to make it far enough up the list of essential school services at most schools in the current desperate funding climate.”

In the last year or so, Smith figures he’s put in about 170 bike parking spaces at schools throughout the city. This seems like a great example of how the city can work with a school, get students involved, and deliver a low-cost, high impact project that encourages biking and good transportation choices."

Sherman Pass wins AGC award

As reported in the Associated Construction Publications, The Inland Northwest Associated General Contractors presented its 2008 Build Northwest Awards, and a special recognition was given to the

Sherman Pass Scenic Byway Corridor Plan in the Colville National Forest in Washington. The team included: Burton Construction Inc. for Sherman Pass Byway; owner, USDA Forest Service — Colville National Forest; Alpine Construction; Landscape Architect: GreenWorks; Civil: Taylor Engineering; and Interpretive Graphics: 1+2 Design. The contract amount for the project was $474,100.

"Projects are judged by an independent panel on the following criteria: meeting the challenge of a difficult job; excellence in project management; contractor's innovation in construction techniques or materials; contractor's state-of-the-art advancement; contractor's sensitivity to the environment and surroundings; excellence in client service; and contractor's contribution to the community."

Sherman Pass National Forest Scenic Byway follows a 35 mile stretch along State Route 20 through the Colville National Forest in the northeastern corner of Washington, traveling over the highest yearly maintained pass in the state along the way at 5,575 feet. Check out some additional images, and a more detailed description of GreenWorks role in the project below:

GreenWorks was contracted by the Colville National Forest to develop a corridor master plan guide for the Byway, which has been identified as an opportunity to boost tourism in the region. Following analysis of the corridor and input from stakeholder groups, schematic site design improvements were developed for existing interpretive waysides as well as new potential sites. Conceptual designs for Byway gateway signs, site identifications signs, kiosks and pavilion structures were also developed, as well as a Byway logo which has since been adopted. In working with Forest Service staff and stakeholders, GreenWorks also developed an interpretive guide for the Byway, which developed an overall Byway theme and organized the important historical and ecological stories into interpretive themes for each of the sites.

GreenWorks was awarded a second contract with the Forest Service and was the project lead in developing construction design drawings for the Byway. This work included site design drawings for three proposed new sites on the Byway. Other elements that were detailed in the design package included wood and stone masonry gateway signs, site identification signs, kiosks, pavilion structures and stone masonry walls. Construction on this project was completed in August of 2008.

all images copyright (c) 2009 - GreenWorks PC

Catlin Gabel School - On the Boards

On the boards 2/17/09 Daily Journal of Commerce - BY NATHALIE WEINSTEIN

Mahlum Architects and PLA Design Inc. A concept plan developed by Walsh Construction Co. and Mahlum Architects will create a new creative arts center at Catlin Gabel, an independent coeducational K-12 school on 54 acres in Southwest Portland.

Project manager Walsh Construction worked with Mahlum, representatives from Catlin Gabel and community members to develop the arts center, a $7.5 million, two-level, 20,000-square-foot building that will consolidate the school’s music and arts activities. Designed by Mahlum, the new facility includes spaces for painting and ceramics studios, media art classrooms, a gallery and a black box theater, which was designed in conjunction with theater consultant PLA Design Inc. The building will also provide a physical bridge between the middle and high schools. Made up of three blocks, the building will be oriented on an east-west axis to take advantage of northern light. The largest block contains the theater, which will open onto an outdoor amphitheater with broad steps that can be used for outdoor classes. Sloping roofs on the building will catch rainwater, which will be diverted to on-site bioswales.

Construction on the project is expected to begin this year and finish in 2010. Other project partners include structural engineer J.G. Pierson Inc., mechanical design/building consultant MEP Consultants, and landscape architect Greenworks PC.

Beavercreek Sustainability

Construction was completed last fall on the Beavercreek Road Green Street project, which was also recipient of an honorable mention for Project of the Year from the Oregon APWA.   The Beavercreek Road Improvements Project was a $4.2 million project undertaken by the City of Oregon City to upgrade 2500 feet of a heavily traveled regional arterial. Beavercreek Road is the primary link between Highway 213 and the City's main north-south arterial, Molalla Avenue. The project, a major component in the City’s Transportation System Plan, expanded the existing three-lane roadway to five lanes with bike lanes and sidewalks on each side. It also incorporated green street design elements for stormwater collection, reduction, and treatment. The project’s design and construction engineering was completed by Wallis Engineering, along with GreenWorks for landscape architecture with construction completed by Dirt and Aggregate Interchange, Inc. and landscape construction from Fox Erosion Control.

Check out the project in more detail in this video:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z-75pERCu0]

Windscape Video

Construction was recently completed on the GreenWorks project 'Windscape', which  "...forms a dramatic landmark in the Gateway District of Northeast Portland; an art installation at an undevelopable site dominated by vehicle traffic.  A constructed topography built from the concrete rubble of a major streetscape redevelopment project recalls the rugged slopes and bluffs of the Columbia River Gorge. Bisecting the landform are rows of flexible windpoles, 20 feet tall and laid out in the cardinal directions. The north-south double row symbolizes adjacent 102nd Avenue as it cuts through the landform. The east-west row of poles represents East Burnside Street, as it was the baseline upon which the city of Portland was laid out." The recent installation of the wind poles gave the opportunity, with this past weekends high-velocity east winds, to see how the project was working in action. Landscape Architect Shawn Kummer, who was the GreenWorks designer for the project, shot the following video:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2eREj0lxxw]

"Motion is the key theme of the piece. The windpoles flex, dependent upon the amount and direction of the wind. As a person drives the loop, the view of the piece is in constant movement, as the rows of poles align and then diverge, and the overlapping topographic features rotate, also appearing to move. Stormwater from adjacent roadways will be captured and directed into an infiltration basin on the site which will filter out stormwater contaminants, while also functioning as an aesthetic element that the recycled concrete walls meander through. Douglas fir trees form a contextual backdrop to the piece, creating windows through which to view Windscape and the adjacent development."

Gresham plaza artist to talk about public art

From the Daily Journal of Commerce - 01.13.09 The artist chosen to create art elements for Gresham’s Center for the Arts Plaza will be at the 4th Street Brewing Company on Jan. 28 to discuss her work in public art. Claudia Fitch was awarded $175,000 to create art to mark the Third Street entrance to the GreenWorks PC designed-plaza, which will act as a “living room” for the city. Fitch has designed a variety of public art projects, including art for Qwest Field in Seattle. At the presentation, she will discuss her previous work and her strategy for approaching public art projects. Her artwork for the plaza is expected to be completed and unveiled in August.

Fitch’s commission was donated by Dwight Unti, Sue O’Halloran, Mike McKeel, Steve Thoren, John Kilian and the Gresham Art Advisory Committee in memory of Walter C. Calvert. The presentation will be held at 77 N.E. Fourth St., in Gresham, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The $1.5 million Center for the Arts Plaza will be a freestanding town square at the center of Gresham’s historic downtown. The project design includes decorative pavers, in-ground LED lighting and a public fountain, as well as a performance and events facility. Project construction began in fall 2008 by Konell Construction, which plans to finish the plaza early this year.

Materials for Sustainable Sites

A fabulous resource for landscape architecture is the recent publication from Wiley entitled Materials for Sustainable Sites and authored by Meg Calkins, LEED AP. Ms. Calkins, who is an educator at Ball State University and frequent writer on sustainable materials, has created a valuable must-have resource for site designers for evaluting truly sustainable materials for projects. Often used in our office, the resource is invaluable for life-cycle evaluation as well as a range of options for materials reuse in projects. Read Jason King's review for a more in depth evaluation of the book and it's content.

In addition to being a fabulous resource, GreenWorks is excited that Ms. Calkins chose to showcase some of our projects relating to a number of sustainable materials uses, including reuse of concrete, use of natural and local materials use, and repurposing industrial materials for both sustainable and cultural relevance. The following project excerpts are from the book - along with the associated captions.

Figures CP4-CP5 - Concrete panels cut and removed from exterior building walls in a remodel were resued as site walls by artist Linda Wysong and GreenWorks. The concrete panels define spaces in the landscape, reference the history of the building, and reduce waste materials from the remodel. Holes cut in the concrete panels focus views (Photo from GreenWorks PC.)

the confluence project

Figure CP17 - Crushed oyster shell paving at the Confluence Project, commemorating the journey of Lewis and Clark, by Maya Lin and GreenWorks was obtained from nearby Oysterville, Washington, the Pacific Northwest hub of oyster production. This reused material from a local industrial waste product was crushed to a spec equivalent to one-quarter inch minus stone and installed four inches think in the Totem Circle (Photo from GreenWorks PC.)

tanner springs park

Figures CP35-CP37 - The undulating wall at Tanner Springs Park in Portland, constructed from reclaimed railroad rails, connects the current park site to its history. Atelier Dreiseitl and GreenWorks intended the wall to represent the 'skin' of the city being pulled back to expose the original wetland site prior to the railroad, industry, and the current mixed-use neighborhood. (Photo from GreenWorks PC.)

Gresham CFTA Plaza Progress

Some exciting recent news regarding the Gresham Center for the Arts Plaza.  Recent articles have been published in the Oregon DJC and the Gresham Outlook, including the recent announcement of Seattle artist Claudia Fitch to create the art pillars.  Check out these photos of the construction progress (taken last week) for the Gresham CFTA Plaza below... including pavers, walls, tree grates, and placeholders for the art pillars.