Regenerative Design in Urban Land

The August 2009 issue of Urban Land (the publication of the Urban Land Institute - ULI) featured an article on 'Regenerative Design' authored by GreenWorks Senior Associate Jason King, along with Ankrom Moisan Principal Scott Thayer.  The article discussed our transition from sustainability to regeneration of communities, and included projects such as Independence Station, Tanner Springs Park, and the Headwaters at Tryon Creek.

Images copyright (ULI) - Click here to read the entire issue online (and jump to pg. 48 for the specific article).

GreenWorks = Green Streets

From our recent emailer:  "Green streets provide many benefits such as creating a more pedestrian friendly street, addressing stormwater in a more environmental and economical way, and improving water quality.

GreenWorks has designed over 30 green street projects in Oregon, Washington and California.

Beavercreek Green Street recently received an American Public Works Association 2009 National Project of the Year Award."

Historic Kenton Main Street to Get Makeover

On Tuesday, August 25th a crowd braved a spot of summer rain to attend a  news conference to kick off Kenton business district streetscape project.  Portland Mayor Sam Adams and representatives of the Portland Development Commission, Multnomah County Libraries, N. Denver Avenue businesses, and the Kenton Neighborhood Association were all in attendance.  Some info from the PDC media advisory:

"Lots of new changes are coming to a historic part of town as a full range of streetscape improvements begin construction on N. Denver Avenue, the main street in the Kenton neighborhood. Construction is expected to begin in early September to renovate the 4.5-block stretch of N. Denver Avenue (Interstate Avenue south to Watts Street).  Improvements include wider sidewalks, new street trees, stormwater planters, pedestrian lighting, concrete street resurfacing, a granite public art sculpture and seven carved stone benches. The $2.85 million N. Denver Avenue Streetscape Improvement Project is funded by PDC in coordination with the Portland Bureau of Transportation. The city has been working with local businesses, community representatives, and technical experts since 2006 to plan the right mix of attractive, functional improvements.

The N. Denver Avenue project exemplifies the vision of 20-minute neighborhoods called out as a key element of the city’s new economic development strategy. Related revitalization projects include Multnomah County’s remodeling of 8226 N. Denver for a new North Portland library branch;  renovation of the iconic Paul Bunyan statue at the intersection of N. Denver and Interstate Avenue; and the opening of new businesses in the district. "

Images © GreenWorks PC.  For more information about this project check out our website.  Also see these recent articles in the Portland Business Journal and the Portland Tribune.

Watch Lane Community College Grow

The new Health and Wellness Building at Lane Community College broke ground in June. From the LCC

Opening Doors Campaign site, some info and a few photos of the event.

Also, with this cool new feature, you can keep tabs on the project via a webcam, updated hourly, showing construction progress for the project. Below is the progress from 3:00 PM this afternoon.

On the Boards: Lane Community College

"Lane Community College in Eugene will have a new look after its new LCC Health and Wellness Center, designed by SRG Partnership, is connected to the existing campus. Landscape architects at GreenWorks PC are performing a redesign of the college’s main entrance to accomplish this. The current entrance offers no visual or physical access to the north part of the campus, according to project manager Robin Craig. Architects were tasked with creating a more visually appealing and welcoming entrance to the campus. “The new opening, ADA-accessible path and native garden allow a visual connection to the north campus,” said Craig, who worked with partner Ron Tendick on the entrance design. “This is a way to combine and coordinate the two halves of the west entry into a welcoming entrance.” The new ADA-compliant design removes ramps, walkways and oversized plantings in favor of native plantings, such as grasses and low ground cover, and a garden with seating and views of nearby Moonshadow Mountain. “The native discovery garden is an artful way of creating a welcoming entrance,” said Craig. “It’s used in a nontraditional manner, and allows students and faculty to discover native plantings.” The $479,000 project is scheduled to be built once federal stimulus funding comes through. Horticulturist Frank Drengacz also helped with the coordination of the project."

From the DJC, July 6, 2009 by Nathalie Weinstein

Kenton Streetscape in Portland Monthly

 Some recent press regarding the Denver Avenue Green Main Street project, in the Kenton Neighborhood of North Portland.  This is excerpted from the Portland Monthly article "Upgrade Avenue: Kenton gets a million-dollar makeover"...  by Rachel Ritchie - Published July 2009

  "IF EVER A PATCH OF PAVEMENT could capture the multiple personalities of Portland’s past, present, and future, it would be the intersection of N Denver and N Interstate Avenues in the historic Kenton neighborhood. Here, a giant statue of Paul Bunyan stares down at the ramshackle all-nude roadhouse Dancin’ Bare while the Euro-futuristic cars of the MAX light-rail glide by. Kenton was home to Portland’s stockyards and the meatpacking titan Swift & Company in the early 1900s; legend has it that so many cattle were slaughtered in the neighborhood, the Columbia Slough ran red. Over the years, Kenton held fast to its gritty pioneer character (Exhibit A: The Bunyan statue), but minus pedestrian-friendly amenities like benches and crosswalks, its business district—the car-clogged N Denver Avenue—foundered, becoming perennially studded with vacant properties. But now the Portland Development Commission (PDC) is offering up a bundle of new business loans, plus $2.85 million for the Denver Streetscape Project, a six-month-long renovation set to begin in August. Here’s a preview of Kenton’s next incarnation. Green Street Not only will N Denver Avenue’s sidewalks be widened from ten to fifteen feet and its three car lanes cut down to two, but by year’s end, the thoroughfare will be one of Portland’s first fully retrofitted green main streets. The pavement will be replaced with concrete, which retains less heat than asphalt, thus reducing cooling needs for adjacent businesses. Stormwater planters on every block will capture and sift runoff from the roads and sidewalks while adding a hint of street-level lushness. New Business To encourage N Denver Avenue’s rebirth as an urban boutique district à la N Mississippi Avenue and NE Alberta Street, the PDC is subsidizing small-business loans. One early taker: Kenton resident Jessie Burke, who, in May, opened Posie’s Café (posiescafe.com), a charming coffee shop committed to supporting fellow local businesses. (She sells coffee from Ristretto Roasters, pastries from Florio on N Willamette Avenue, and wraps from White Girls Can Wrap.) Paul Bunyan The mythological concrete-troweled lumberjack, who earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places this year, was built in 1959 for Oregon’s Centennial celebration and has since remained the icon of Kenton. He’ll stay put, but the plaza he stands in will soon be dressed up with trees, greenery, and seating. Kenton Library Hennebery Eddy Architects has designed a new six-thousand-square-foot Multnomah County library branch, slated for completion in 2010, that will provide Kenton bibliophiles with a home. The neighborhood has lacked a library since its founding in 1909. Mauricio Saldaña Sculpture Portland artist Mauricio Saldaña, a third-generation stone carver, will create a granite sculpture to stand at the corner of N Denver Avenue and Kilpatrick Street, as well as seven concrete-and-granite benches that will be planted along the corners of the street."

Summer Sustainability...

GreenWorks is excited to be involved again in 2009 with the 2nd iteration of the Summer Sustainability Series program on 'Sustainability in the Built Environment.

From the Website:

"The Summer Sustainability Series offers unique professional programs based on the ground-breaking work of Oregon’s businesses, universities, not-for-profit organizations, and policy makers. We visit experts and practitioners in the field as they bring their experiences to life. Participants will join other thought leaders from a range of professions, pushing beyond the current thinking to find better solutions."

Again this year, GreenWorks Principal Jim Figurski gave an overview of the process of creating Tanner Springs Park (a collaboration between GreenWorks and Atelier Dreisietl, seen above). And Doug Shapiro of Hoyt Street Properties gave everyone the opportunity to get a birds eye view of the park atop the penthouse of the Metropolitan Condominiums. Not a bad perspective.

Day 2 Featured a presentation by Jason King, Senior Associate, giving a tour of the Multnomah County Building Green Roof (in full bloom below) and the newly planted rooftop urban agriculture demonstration, the Hope Garden.

Meet Columbia EcoVillage

This past Saturday, June 20th, the residents of the Columbia Ecovillage celebrated the grand opening of their sustainable community in Northeast Portland. The event featured "...brief presentations from the development team, architecture and contracting firms involved in the green renovation, as well as a community celebration and tours of the property and the two remaining homes."

GreenWorks provided permitting, site planning, and landscape architecture services, working with the great community members, to provide landscaping based on sustainable permaculture principles, as well as stormwater management for new buildings.

All images copyright 2009 - GreenWorks

Gardening for Hope

GreenWorks has been honored to help orchestrate the transformation of the rooftop planters on the Multnomah County Green Roof into a 'Hope Garden' ... From Multnomah County website:

"Multnomah County and the City of Portland are partnering to plant organic vegetable gardens at their respective headquarters to recognize the growing community interest in local food systems and to inspire residents to plant their own edible gardens.  “Growing food is a great way for a family to reduce food costs, spend time together, and to assist hungry families,” said Multnomah County Commissioner Judy Shiprack.   “Multnomah County recognizes that our local food system has a significant impact on the economy, health, and environment of our community,” said Multnomah County Commissioner Jeff Cogen. “And this demonstration project fits one of the county’s core missions to promote healthy people and healthy communities.”

 

Volunteers from a number of organizations and firms contributed their time and effort into making the garden a reality.  A list of donations includes:

:: GreenWorks Landscape Architects www.greenworkspc.com :: Teufel Landscape www.teufel.com :: Tremco Roofing www.tremcoroofing.com :: Anderson Roofing www.andersonroofing.net :: Phillips Soil Products www.phillipssoil.com :: HD Fowler www.hdfowler.com :: Oregon Wire www.oregonwireproducts.com :: Territorial Seeds www.territorialseed.com :: Plant Health www.planthealthllc.com :: Portland Nursery www.portlandnursery.com :: Parr Lumber www.parr.com  

Food will be cared for by the Multnomah County Green Team, and donated to local food banks via the Share your Harvest program.  The roof is publically accessible at 501 SE Hawthorne, and open during regular business hours.  Plus the view of downtown is stunning.

Gresham Center for the Arts Plaza

Construction is finishing up on the Gresham Center for the Arts Plaza, and the dedication ceremony has been scheduled for Saturday, June 6th... Here's the text from a recent DJC article, as well as some recent construction pics. Hope to see you there.

:: images copyright GreenWorks PC

Grand Opening Planned for Gresham's Living Room

From the DJC - June 2, 2009

Gresham’s “living room” is one step closer to completion: Konell Construction has completed work on the first phase of the city’s new Center for the Arts Plaza.

The plaza, built on a two-acre parcel of land at Second and Third streets between Northeast Hood and Kelly avenues, is intended to accommodate local performers and also serve as an ‘outdoor living room’ similar to Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square. Designed by GreenWorks PC, the plaza features four art pillars that symbolize fine arts, literature, performing arts and music.

Construction of the $2.3 million plaza began in August 2008. Future phases of the project will include construction of a two-story, 37,400-square-foot performance and events facility and a three-balcony proscenium theater, which will be built bordering the plaza.

Grand-opening festivities for the plaza will be held on Saturday at 12:30 p.m., followed by musical performances and family-fun activities from 1 to 8:30 p.m. For more information on the project, visit http://www.gcfta.org/.