2011 Engineering Excellence Awards

Last week, the American Council of Engineering Companies of Oregon (ACEC) announced the 2011 Engineering Excellence Awards.  33 projects were recognized as being outstanding examples in their category during the event.  The awards were broken down into 10 separate categories:

1. Building Technology Systems
2. Energy
3. Small Projects
4. Special Projects
5. Structural Systems
6. Studies, Research, and Consulting
7. Surveying and Mapping
8. Transportation
9. Water Resources
10. Water and Storm Water

We wanted to pass along our congratulations to all the award winners.  GreenWorks was lucky enough to be on three project teams that won awards that evening.  The Anderson Road Green Street Project , LaCenter Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion, and the Encore Building brought home awards that evening.  The full DJC article can be found here.

Green Infrastructure Webinar

On February 23rd, the Watershed Management Group (out of Tuscon, AZ) is hosting the first webinar titled Green Infrastructure Case Studies. It is the first in a three part series discussing the importance of Green Infrastructure in our neighborhoods and cities. Three cities will be represented: Tucson, Austin, and Portland. GreenWorks will be representing the Portland viewpoint and presenting projects from around the Metro region. The webinar is free, so please sign up and enjoy the conversation about green infrastructure. To register for the webinar click here.

GreenWorks completes first BIM (Building information Modeling) project, using Autodesk’s Revit® Architecture

Revit^® Architecture was added to our design workflow at the end of 2009, and implemented early in 2010, as we began work on the ODOT Headquarters Renovation in Salem with SERA Architects.  As a firm, we embrace processes that allow for greater collaboration and exchange of ideas in an information rich platform.  Implementation of this technology allows us to work directly with our AEC partners, without the need for file translations. We continue to keep abreast of advances in industry technology, and have recently added the programs LANDCADD^™ and Siteworks™ for Revit^® to our workflow.  These additions allow us to participate early in the design process as we explore hardscape and site grading features.  We are one of the first landscape architecture firms to embrace this collaborative process, and are excited about continuing to integrate BIM into future projects to enhance the development of sustainable sites.

Gresham Center for the Arts Plaza – Public Art Work Receives Illumination

Special lighting to illuminate the four public art sculptures at Gresham Center for the Arts Plaza was recently installed, making the plaza an even more dynamic space at night. A dedication for the art works, by Seattle based artist Claudia Fitch, was held on October 23^rd (see blog post dated Oct. 29, 2010). To learn more about Claudia and her work, visit her website at http://www.claudiafitch.com/

Bike trips on rise in Portland

Many of us here at GreenWorks love commuting by bike.  At times, especially this last summer, it seemed like everyone in Portland was commuting by bike.  Well now we know why it felt that way...  The Portland Bureau of Transportation recently reported in their Portland Bicycle Count for 2010 that total bike trips in Portland is up 8% since last year.  The Portland Daily Journal of Commerce reported that:

The agency today announced the release of the Portland Bicycle Count Report for 2010, which showed a 12 percent increase of bicycle traffic on bridges and a 7 percent increase in bicycle trips on non-bridges over the past year.

“One of the goals of the city of Portland is to increase the number of people getting around on foot, on public transit, in carpools and on bicycles,” said Dan Anderson, a city spokesman. “Traveling those ways increases the health of the city, reduces congestion and saves money.”

Officials view growing ridership as a sign the agency has been successful in making bicycling in the city easier, more comfortable and more accessible, he said.

Overall, the total number of trips increased 8 percent in 2010 compared with 2009 counts, according to the report.

 

And what was a more interesting fact was that...

In the past 10 years, bicycle traffic across the city has risen about 190 percent.

Way to go Portland!  We love to bike.  And we are glad to hear that there will be more people to talk to during our commute in to work.

The full DJC article can be found here.

Two GreenWorkers Earn Landscape Architect Licenses

GreenWorks’ Michelle Mathis and Tim Strand recently became registered Landscape Architects in the State of Oregon. Mathis and Strand passed five sections of the Landscape Architect Registration Examination (LARE) administered by CLARB. CLARB provides uniform testing requirements to each state or province (Canada) for landscape architect candidates to show “sufficient knowledge, skills and abilities to provide landscape architectural services without endangering the health, safety and welfare of the public.”

Congrats to Tim and Michelle on your new licensure and the positive impact it will have on the practice of landscape architecture within the community.

New Public Art Dedicated at the Center for the Arts Plaza

A special dedication event was held on Saturday October 23rd to dedicate four new pieces of public art recently installed at the Gresham Center for the Arts Plaza. The works of art, collectively named FineTunedTulle by Seattle based artist Claudia Fitch, was commissioned by the Center for the Arts Foundation and was made possible by private donations to the Foundation. The event featured a number of different presentations and activities centered on art work's theme, which is representative of the different art forms. There was a dance performance by young aspiring ballerinas, reading of poetry, performance by the Portland Brass Quartet, an ‘Instrument Petting Zoo’ and arts and crafts tables for interactive kid activities. The quartet of forms, which range in height from 18 to 27 feet in height, serve as colorful beacons at the plaza’s door step. Construction of the plaza, designed by GreenWorks, was completed in June of 2009 and serves as the City of Gresham’s living room, where many public events and performances have already been held. The plaza is the first step in realizing a vision for an arts district in downtown Gresham that will be centered on the plaza.

Silver Falls Nature Play Area Breaks Ground!

Silver Falls State Park has been taking advantage of the nice weather the last few weeks and they have begun to clear, and grade the natural play areas and interpretive path. With the help of the county inmate work crew and a few dedicated volunteers they have transplanted many native plants, cleared 5 play areas and ¼ of a mile loop trail. Park staff will spend some of their time this winter fabricating play components, signage and interpretive elements for installation next spring and summer. In hard economic times creativity can help get a project completed. Oregon Park and Recreation Staff have been work with a Marion County Inmate Crew to implement the first stages to the project. Koin Local 6 was on site last week to check in on the crew’s progress. You can see their story and video footage here.

The park is looking for parks volunteers to help finish the construction. There are opportunities for artists, scout troops, families and other citizens with a range of skills. Let us know if you are interested in helping construct this nature based play area. We can find a task that meets your skills and commitment level.

You should be able to enjoy the nature play area starting in the summer of 2011.

APWA 2010 Fall Conference - Pendleton, OR

The Oregon Chapter of the American Public Works Association is hosting their Annual Fall Conference in Pendleton, Oregon.  The city of Pendleton is expected to complete over $35 million in public works projects between 2010 and 2011, and are excited to show off all their hard work.  The conference begins Tuesday, October 12^th, and lasts through Friday, October 13^th. On Wednesday, October 13^th, GreenWorks will be hosting a streetscape design workshop at the conference.  The workshop will include a tour of some recently completed projects in Pendleton.  GreenWorks led the design and development of construction documents for these new improvements.  The projects include a new gateway entrance landscaping in front of the Pendleton Convention Center, new frontage improvements for the Round-Up Grounds, new Centennial Plaza for Round-Up Grounds and Roy Raley Park, and the new Riverfront Park along SW Court Avenue.

Also during the conference, GreenWorks will present on an innovative green street inventory process recently completed for the City of Portland Columbia Slough Watershed Group.

Join us for a great conference in Pendleton, OR!  Get 'er Done