GreenWorks Collaborates with Area Leaders as Part of the Oregon Sustainability Experience

On July 20, 2010, Jim Figurski, Principal and Technical Director at GreenWorks, led an on-site discussion of the sustainable principles incorporated in the design at Tanner Springs Park in the Pearl District.  The tour and discussion was part of the annual Oregon Sustainability Experience.  Jim’s discussion of the design principles and goals for the park was followed by a discussion of on-going maintenance practices and the evolution of the Park by Mark  Griswold Wilson, a Restoration Ecologist working for Portland Parks and Recreation. You can learn more about the Oregon Sustainability Experience at: http://www.thesustainabilityexperience.org/2010/urban_leaders.html

George Rogers Park Kiosk Unveiling & Garden Dedication

Come join us at George Rogers Park in Lake Oswego, this Saturday, July 24^th at 10:00am to celebrate the unveiling of a new Interpretive Kiosk for the Oswego Iron Furnace and the dedication of the Gerber Memorial Garden.  GreenWorks provided design services for the Gerber Memorial Garden, the Interpretive Kiosk, and the flagstone plaza surrounding the restored Oswego Iron Furnace.

Nature Based Playground Group Tour

GreenWorks organized and led a Nature Based Play Tour early this year. We had an increasing number of clients, peers and local agencies that were showing an interest in natural play options. Many of these agencies are still working through questions like; how nature play works, what makes something nature play, and what are the benefits and nature play. GreenWorks and members from Oregon Park and Recreation Department, Portland Parks and Recreation, Metro, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Miller Hull, and Mahlum Architects met to talk over issues surrounding nature play and visit some examples.

Site Visits Included:

Catlin Gable School

Providence Montessori School

Cooper Mountain Nature Area

Memorial Park - City of Wilsonville

GreenWorks is currently working with Oregon Parks and Recreation Department to design their first natural play area at Silver Falls State Park to open in 2011.

Cape Horn will get a Forest Service-designed trail in Skamania County

Cape Horn Trail is an eight mile trail in Skamania County located twenty six miles east of Vancouver, WA to which the Forest Service is currently making improvements. The existing trail has two at grade crossings where hikers and horse back riders traverse heavily traveled State Route 14. To improve safety for trail users, the Forest Service and WASH DOT are constructing pedestrian underpass tunnels at these two crossings. GreenWorks’ role in the project was to develop schematic designs for the tunnel entrances and provide construction design drawings for the tunnel fascias, which included stone wall construction, custom metal guardrail fence design and planting design around the entrances. The design of the tunnel fascias uses locally quarried Columbia River Basalt to form walls that are in accord with other examples of historic basalt stone work in the Columbia Gorge.

This GreenWorks project was featured in the Oregonian discussing the coming changes, click the link below to see the full article:

http://blog.oregonlive.com/terryrichard/2010/02/cape_horn_will_get_a_forest_se.html

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.