King Appointed to USGBC Group

(via the Oregon Daily Journal of Commerce) posted Friday, August 7, 2009

Senior associate Jason A. King of GreenWorks PC has been appointed by the U.S. Green Building Council to serve on the Sustainable Sites Technical Advisory Group (SS TAG). The group provides technical advice in regard to products, tools and services related to sustainable sites within the LEED rating system.

King will advise on credit interpretation requests and credit ruling appeals, as well as monitor consistency in the methods of assessment and standards across the LEED product range as it relates to credits for sustainable sites. He was selected from a pool of 124 applicants for eight open TAG positions. King is experienced in green roof design, storm water design, habitat restoration, reduction of the urban heat island effect, and other sustainable design strategies.

Also, read this interview with Jason King about the appointment, recently featured on World Landscape Architect by Damian Holmes.

Green Streets on ASLA Website

A recent article authored by Jason King and Shawn Kummer appeared in the ASLA Urban Design Professional Practice Network - discussing some recent work on green street projects and their role in shaping urban form.

"Green streets, like many other green infrastructure strategies, offer the same or better functional contributions as gray streets, as well as a range of added benefits. For example, green storm water design contributes to communities well beyond treating 90% of roadway pollutants, replenishing groundwater, sequestering carbon, and improving air quality. More expansive community benefits include improved neighborhood aesthetics, green connections, pedestrian and bicycle safety, traffic calming, and building community consensus around what is a good infrastructure investment. This transfer of investment from single-purpose gray infrastructure such as cartridge storm filters to multi-purpose green infrastructure investment allows for greater benefit to communities—both financially and environmentally—making every dollar invested pay back abundantly. The economics are simple: green storm water infrastructure provides more green in our communities, costs less, works better, is easily scalable, and is more resilient and adaptable than standard pipe systems. While the techniques to improve the control and treatment of storm water runoff are still evolving, green stormwater designs, like many other green infrastructure techniques, are proving to be flexible, offering solutions at a variety of scales rather than just at the end of the pipe. "

Read the entire article here.

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."

Plaza Celebration - Gresham Outlook

Arts enthusiasts ready for plaza celebration

By Mara Stine

The Gresham Outlook, Jun 3, 2009

"Local patrons of the arts will be kicking up their heels this weekend in celebration of the city’s new Center for the Arts Plaza.

A grand opening for the plaza, located between Northeast Second and Third streets and Hood and Kelly avenues, starts at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, June 6. Free musical performances and family activities are scheduled throughout the day and into the evening.

For a complete line up and history of the plaza, see the special section dedicated to the project inserted in this issue of The Outlook.

Funded through a partnership between the Center for the Arts Foundation and Gresham, the $2.3 million plaza is designed to showcase local performers and provide East County residents a central gathering space.

“The plaza is a unique opportunity for our citizens and visitors to not only enjoy art and cultural events, but also have community gatherings and picnics while enjoying this beautiful outdoor ‘living room’ in the heart of Gresham,” said Gresham City Councilor Carol Nielsen-Hood.

The Center for the Arts Plaza is on a 2-acre parcel donated to the city by the Fourier-Larson family. It’s centrally located in historic downtown Gresham, just a few blocks east of Main Avenue.

A privately funded Center for the Arts also is planned for the site. The Center for the Arts Foundation is still raising money for the project.

Plaza events will be scheduled year round, and the space is available for private event rental such as weddings."

GreenWorks Promotes Five

GreenWorks Landscape Architecture has promoted Jason King and Robin Craig to Senior Associates, and Brett Milligan, Alexandra Perove and Tim Strand to Associate.

King has 15 years of experience in eco-roofs, sustainable housing, health care, institutional and recreational projects. His recent projects include the Columbia River Community Hospital, Asante Health System Courtyard and Independence Station. He holds a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and a Bachelor of Science in environmental design from North Dakota State University.

Craig has 17 years of experience and is currently working on a new Lane Community College health and wellness facility, TriMet light-rail transit system improvements, and Riverdale School District’s new K-8 school. She holds a Bachelor of Environmental Design in landscape architecture from North Carolina State University and a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Virginia.

Milligan is currently working on the Condit Dam removal and Portland Fire Station 18. He holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.

Perove is currently working on The Dalles Riverfront Connections project and the city of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services Systems Planning. She holds a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Pennsylvania State University.

Strand is a project manager and landscape designer. He is currently working on the Clay Street green street and Chambers Creek Wastewater Treatment Facility. He holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley.

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

Plants at Work: Greywater Wetlands

The last issue of Plants at Work, a supplement created by the regional group Sprout, and periodically attached to the Sustainable Industries Journal, provided some information on the up-and-coming issue related to greywater wetlands - in particular the potential use of these facilities to treat and make available, water for reuse in buildings.  The potential for greywater reuse to expand the ability to provide water conservation to sustainable landscapes is vital for our local climate, which is marked by long periods of drought in summer months.  Greywater, with minimal treatment, can be repurposed for use in irrigation of green roofs or other landscaping, as well as provide a beautiful site amenity.  The article 'Building Wetlands: Legalizing greywater reuse opens new markets for wetland plants', is written by Libby Tucker, who is also a frequent contributor to the DJC.

The article featured a number of GreenWorks projects.  There are no small scale examples of building wetlands for greywater at this time, but simple modifications can be made to other forms of constructed wetlands to provide this additional benefit.  Once the laws are changed, this will open up new potential for sustainable sites and water management - expanding the realm of design from sustainable to regenerative.   Projects include the Synopsis Headquarters in Hillsboro, 4800 Meadows in Lake Oswego, Rock Creek Greenway Wetlands, NRS Headquarters in Salem, and Tanner Springs Park in Portland. 

Downloads of the magazine are available here.  (definitely check out the article on Floating Wetlands as well... good stuff).

Also, be sure to check out the presentation at Sprout's upcoming conference 'Soak it Up: Phytotechnology Solutions for Water Challenges'.   GreenWorks Senior Associate Jason King, ASLA LEED AP, will present at the first day of the conference on the theme: "Connecting Landscape Function to Ecological Function Through Design." which will feature a range of GreenWorks and other related project work pushing the boundaries of  innovative stormwater management... truly putting plants to work every day.

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.

SSI works toward certification of landscape architecture

Sustainable Sites Initiative seeks to address issues not completely covered by LEED From the DJC Oregon - originally printed Tuesday, January 27, 2009

BY SAM BENNETT

As a landscape architect with Greenworks, Jason King keeps pace with changes in the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards. King in 2003 was one of the first local landscape architects to become LEED accredited, and now a third of his office is accredited.

But while it’s important for landscape architects to understand LEED, the system is mostly oriented toward the built environment and does not address, in depth, the complex systems used in landscape architecture. To remedy that, several groups are combining forces to develop the Sustainable Sites Initiative – an effort to define comprehensive guidelines and performance benchmarks for sustainable landscapes.

“This initiative gives us the opportunity to expand the (LEED) idea and provides a mechanism for certification of nonbuilding sites,” said King.

The new initiative would give landscape architects a ratings system for parks, plazas, streetscapes, golf courses and even cemeteries. Sites with buildings, such as retail and office parks, military complexes, airports and botanical gardens would also be part of the system.

Proponents of the initiative say that landscape designs can have an impact on the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the use of vegetation and soil, by controlling invasive plant species and by controlling water pollution through improved storm-water runoff control.

Landscape architect Jana McKenzie, a managing principal and vice president with EDAW’s Fort Collins, Colo., office, said she and a group of fellow landscape architects came up with the idea for a landscape architecture ratings system in 2001.

“LEED is advanced in addressing building performance, but it felt like the site components, including land use, needed to be addressed as well,” said McKenzie.

The idea expanded in the next couple of years to groups outside the American Society of Landscape Architects, and became an interdisciplinary effort that included Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the United States Botanic Garden.

In addition to creating voluntary guidelines and performance benchmarks for sustainable land design, the system will address construction and maintenance practices at the sites that are certified. McKenzie said the new system must be region specific, because of the importance of using indigenous plantings.

Input for the new system, which will likely be folded into the LEED system, has been sought from landscape architects, restoration ecologists, biologists, civil engineers, hydrologists and water quality specialists.

Tom Liptan, a sustainable design specialist with the city of Portland, said he has added input for developing criteria for the new system in the area of hydrology – specifically, storm-water management and rainwater harvesting.

“We’re trying to address issues that LEED doesn’t address comprehensively,” Liptan said. The new system can address issues such as preventing storm water by capturing water in vegetated areas or creating rain gardens, he said.

Liptan said developments, for example, could win extra points in the new system if they daylight a creek. Developers and designers, he said, would be rewarded for “trying to achieve a well-balanced ecosystem” on the property. Green streets could also have benchmarks in the new system.

The most recent draft of the Sustainable Sites Initiative Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks, from last year, is available on the Sustainable Sites Initiative Web site, www.sustainablesites.org.

King expected that the new initiative would see its first pilot projects in 2011, and that a reference guide would be available the following year.