Confluence Project Featured this Week on OPB's "Think Out Loud"

Tomorrow's Oregon Public Broadcasing "Think Out Loud" broadcast will feature Artist Maya Lin and the Confluence Projects for which GreenWorks is providing landscape architectural services.  Artist Maya Lin and Confluence Executive Director Jane Jacobsen will be sitting in with host Emily Harris at 9 a.m. Thursday  to discuss Ms. Lin's approach to the series of interpretive sites in Oregon and Washington along the major rivers of the Pacific Northwest. Individual sites are located along the Snake, Columbia, and Sandy Rivers and include site developments in support of Ms. Lin's artwork, including:  viewpoints and overlooks, trails, parking, comfort stations, fish cleaning stations, information kiosks and other site facilities.  GreenWorks is responsible for detailed site design for multiple sites as well as leading an interdisciplinary team of engineers, designers, architects and regulatory professionals in the development of these sites.

You can listen to the broadcast and learn more at:

http://www.opb.org/thinkoutloud/shows/maya-lin-and-confluence-project/

Pendleton Round-Up Celebrates 100th Anniversary

Sept 15-18, 2010 marked the 100th Year Anniversary of the legendary Pendleton Round-Up, an annual rodeo event that brings 50,000 people every year to the city of Pendleton, Oregon. GreenWorks worked with the Round-Up Association, the City of Pendleton, and ODOT to complete three high priority projects in time for the celebration, which include a new landscape gateway into downtown, Round-Up streetscape frontage improvements and Centennial Plaza, and a new Riverfront Park on the Umatilla River.  

Public Art installed at Gresham Center for the Arts Plaza

Four sculptures, by Seattle based artist Claudia Fitch, were installed at the Gresham Center for the Arts Plaza on Thursday Oct. 21^st. The quartet of forms range in height from 18 to 27 feet in height, and serve as colorful beacons at the plaza’s door step.  The work, which Claudia has named FineTunedTule, is based upon the theme of the four arts – visual art, music, literature and dance and is directly inspired by four formal tools/instruments representative of the arts respectively: the paintbrush, the trumpet, the fountain pen and the tutu.

Claudia writes about the work, “I am fascinated by the finely contoured shapes of all these tools (the tulle construction of the tutu being no less precisely delineated). And, like in the verbal pun of the working title, I saw an opportunity in these tool forms to play with their elegant sculptural shapes in a kind of cross referential way, switching functionality with humor, and punning on their visual similarities and differences.”

A public dedication of the public art sculptures will be held Saturday, October 23^rd, 2010 from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm, with formal presentations to begin at 12 noon. All are invited to attend. The plaza is located at 401 NE 2^nd Street, Downtown Gresham.

Construction of this project, 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 centered on the plaza.

GreenWorker Finishes Strong in Portland Marathon

GreenWorks' Emily Arruda finished her second Portland Marathon on Sunday's 10-10-10 downtown event. Despite the pouring rain and wet conditions, Emily finished 38 minutes faster than last year's time setting a personal record of 4:32:15 and average pace of 10:23 per mile. She ranked in the top 47% overall and finished full stride passing 544 people in the final 6 miles while only allowing 8 to pass her by.  Congrats on your personal record and second marathon achievement Emily!

Emily and her brother David after their marathon finish

GreenWorks Finishes 6th in Division for Bike to Work Challenge

September's end wrapped up the 2010 Bike Commute Challenge and the results are in - GreenWorks placed sixth in their category for Businesses and Non-Profit Agencies with 5-24 employees. This ranking was based on a 79.2% commute rate, out of 303 competitors in the category! GreenWorkers logged a total of 149 commutes and 1324 miles overall. We also held our annual internal competition to see which employee bikes the most based on miles and commutes. Alex Perove swept both categories with 342 logged miles, biking every day in the month for a total of 44 commutes. Hats off to GreenWorks bikers for their hard work and miles put in for this year's challenge!

Lane Community College Health & Wellness Center Grand Opening

GreenWorks is proud to announce the grand opening of the HEALTH & WELLNESS CENTER at LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE in Eugene, Oregon. The grand opening on September 23, 2010 was well attended and celebrated by Lane Community College. The Center sets a new standard for classroom space where students will experience the benefits of an enhanced learning environment, a deeper understanding of human health and well being, and new inspiration to care for the earth. GreenWorks provided landscape architectural services for the Health and Wellness Center including site planning, hardscape, grading, planting, irrigation, and site furnishings. The exterior courtyard space and rain gardens provides for relaxation, learning, and community. This area connects to the main campus circulation spine flowing through the building entry lobby and out the north side to the Long House and track beyond.

Rainwater is expressed as it comes off the roof through scuppers and rain chains into a series of custom rain basins, which feed the large rain gardens surrounding the building. Custom Ipe decking and flow through planters provide seating opportunities and views of the new native environment. The design creates awareness of the natural world and conserves resources by filtering and storing all of the rainwater on site.

“This signature building is a tall testimony to Lane’s enduring commitment to be at the forefront of the health care education in the region. Students and Faculty alike will excel in this state-of-the art learning environment.” Tony Baker - Opening Door Campaign Chair Lane Community College

Graham Oaks Nature Park Opens to the Public

METRO and the City of Wilsonville unveiled their newest park last Saturday, Graham Oaks Nature Park. GreenWorks provided schematic design, construction documents, and construction administration for the 250 acre park. The opening had a great turnout despite the rainy conditions! Special thanks to METRO for hosting the event with various activities and to our own Michelle Mathis for her hard work as Project Manager on Graham Oaks.

GreenWorker Pitches in to Clean Clackamas River

Last weekend, Alex Perove volunteered (along with 350 other river lovers) to clean up the Clackamas River. Together, the volunteers hauled out approximately 5,000 pounds (2.5 tons) of trash from 14 miles of riverbank and bottom. This immense effort inspires a community of artists to take a turn in the ripples of a great sustainable cause. As part of the Ripple Effect effort, local artists will transform the recovered river trash into handcrafted works of art that will be enjoyed in a new way by our community, completing the full life cycle of our waste.

Save the date and come check out the Ripple Effect art exhibit on 1st Thursday, in the Pearl. 7pm on Oct. 7th at the Keen "Green Room" http://www.ripplepdx.com/

A huge thank you from We Love Clean Rivers and the Clackamas River Basin Council for all of their efforts to improve the health of our beloved Clackamas River.

Graham Oaks Nature Park Grand Opening

Join GreenWorks and METRO this Saturday in Wilsonville for the grand opening of Graham Oaks Nature Park.  GreenWorks will be there to celebrate the park's grand opening where METRO will lead tours, a dedication ceremony, showcase student artwork, and highlight the park's history.  Hope to see you there!   For more information visit:

http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=10365/level=4

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2010/09/post_19.html

UO Design Camp Wraps Up Week 1 with a Focus on Landscape Architecture

Week One wrapped up with more design foundations and a focus on the field of Landscape Architecture. Claire and the other instructors lead campers on a walking tour of Portland. Along the way, the students were divided into teams and tasked with creating performance installations at different sites based on water-themed words such as meander, rush, and babble. Check out the UO Design Camp blog for more details about the day’s events.

http://uodesigncamp.wordpress.com/2010/07/30/day-four-july-30th/