New Bridge for Longview Washington Completed

Construction of a new bridge crossing historic Lake Sacajawea Park on Washington Way in Longview Washington has been completed. Lake Sacajawea Park, built in 1924, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The existing bridge seen in the photo above, built in 1934 as a temporary structure, was listed in the Register as ‘non-contributing’.

GreenWorks, working with the City of Longview and OBEC Consulting Engineers, assisted in developing conceptual design for bridge elements such as the bridge form and character, material, railing design, finishes and lighting fixtures. The team developed bridge design that would fit and complement the historic context of the park. The constructed bridge photo provided shows how successfully the design and construction of the bridge accomplished the design vision.

Other project design team members included Kittleson and Associates, Inc., Artifacts Consulting, Inc., Gibbs & Olson, Inc., Ecological Land Services, Inc., Geotechnical Resources, Inc.

Westmoreland and Crystal Springs Creek Receive APA Award for Sustainability

GreenWorks recently received a 2015 National APA Award for Excellence in Sustainability in the category of Sustainable Parks, Open Space and Recreation for their work at Westmoreland Nature Play area. GreenWorks worked with Portland Parks and Recreation to replace an aging playground with an innovative nature play area at the same time that Portland Bureau of Environmental Services led a stream enhancement /fish habitat improvement project on Crystal Springs Creek, which is adjacent to and an inspiration for the nature play area. The Award recognized both projects for creating a new place that connects watershed health, human health and livability.

Couch Park comment forms for the playground and plaza improvements are due Thursday December 10th.

GreenWorks was been hired by Portland Parks & Recreation to design the new playground, address accessibility issues in the plaza and install a new Portland Loo at Couch Park as part of the Parks Replacement Bond. We presented the three options below for the playground at an Open House on December 3rd . Online comments are due Thursday December 10th and can be found here: http://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/68915. One of the top priorities for the playground is for it to be inclusive, which mean that it should be designed for children of all ages and abilities. We have been working closely with Mara Kaplan from Let Kids Play http://www.letkidsplay.com/ who is a national expert and advocate for inclusive playground design. Mara was brought on to the design team to help us design a playground that provides exceptional play opportunities for all children.

Mike Faha is Named A Fellow

It is always nice to be recognized for a job well done. But the most gratifying accolades are those that highlight work born of passion -- work that inspires us and of which we are most proud. Founding Principal Mike Faha’s passion is in creating livable, sustainable communities that balance economic, ecological, and social needs. This year, he was recognized with the highest honor in his profession for a body of work that spans four decades and defines his legacy as both a pioneer and innovator of sustainable design. Sunday, at the ASLA Annual Meeting and Expo in Chicago, Mike was honored for his contribution to his profession and to society by being named a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects (FASLA) for 2015. This great honor comes on the heels of another career milestone for Mike. In October, he was recognized by the American Public Works Association Oregon Chapter (APWA) with the Individual Award in Sustainability Practices for his contribution to projects that enhance the economic development, financial stability, education, safety, enjoyment, livability, environmental stewardship, conservation, and energy efficiency in communities throughout Oregon. With over 30 years’ experience restoring the health of urban watersheds, Mike tirelessly advocates for low impact development and promotes urban stormwater planning and design as an integral part of the work of landscape architects. His approach to projects integrates various professional disciplines in order to realize multiple-objective community design goals. To be acknowledged by his peers for the work that is closest to his heart is a tremendous moment in his career.

Cheers to Mike! This truly caps off a year that can only be described as an annus mirabilis for Mike and GreenWorks. With Gill Williams joining GreenWorks in March and numerous awards for our projects, GreenWorks truly has many reasons to give thanks for a wonderful year.

GreenWorks Takes Home Three Awards at the ASLA Oregon 2015 Awards Soiree!

Last Friday night, the Oregon Chapter of the ASLA 2015 Design Awards Soiree was held at the Multnomah Athletic Club in the Goose Hollow neighborhood. It was a festive evening, with lots of members from the landscape architecture community gathering together to celebrate landscape architecture in Oregon. Prior to the award announcements, Mike Faha was acknowledged for his Works in the profession and received a standing ovation for the designation of Fellow this year, which he will be officially recognized at the National 2015 ASLA Annual Meeting and Expo in Chicago, November 6-9. During the awards, there were 29 projects nominated for awards, including 8 student projects that were reviewed by a jury of three professionals. Winners were selected in the following categories: Award of Excellence, Honor Award, and Merit Award. GreenWorks received three awards including a Merit Award for Cascade Ave (US 20) Streetscape project in Sisters, Oregon, an Award of Excellence and the People’s Choice Award for the Orange Line, Portland to Milwaukie Light Rail. It was a special evening for GreenWork and GreenWorks would like to thank everyone who contributed to the success of these projects.

October 8th - Couch Park Open House

GreenWorks is under contract to assist Portland Parks & Recreation with design and construction for the Couch Park plaza and playground improvements.  Come to the first Open House this Thursday, October 8th to learn about the project and share your thoughts and ideas.  See details below.

Bike to Work Challenge 2015

As we start the month of October, so ends another Bike Commute Challenge. We’ve had great ridership this year! The 10 participants logged a total of 1,185 miles, with Senior Landscape Architect, Dave Walters logging 306 of those miles all on his own! GreenWorks is very active in community events that promote and enrich our local Portland culture and the Bicycle Transportation Association’s annual Bike Commute Challenge is one of our favorites. As early leaders working with the BTA, GreenWorks actively promotes bike ridership. In 2000, GreenWorks won first place in the first annual BTA Bike Commute Challenge, and we have won four additional first place awards since then. Here’s to another great year!

Grand Opening of Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail

The much anticipated grand opening of the Orange Line, TriMet’s newest addition to its growing light rail network , was held on Saturday September  12th. The event, which spanned the length of the new 7.3 mile line, saw an enormous turnout of citizens excited to ride the new line and enjoy the event festivities at each of the new stations along the route. One of the day’s highlights was riding a train full of people and hearing the cheering that erupted as the train crossed onto the new Tilikum Crossing bridge that spans the Willamette River. There was genuine excitement in the air for this new significant addition to the fabric of Portland. GreenWorks is proud to have been a part of the design team on this project, involved with the landscape design at stations along the six mile long east segment of the line. For more pictures and video of the day, go to the link provided below.

http://howweroll.trimet.org/2015/09/14/max-orange-line-grand-opening-a-historic-convergence-video/

GreenWorks featured in newly published Artful Rainwater Design

At GreenWorks, we strongly believe that sustainable designs can also be beautiful. This idea is wonderfully demonstrated in the recently published book Artful Rainwater Design: Creative Ways to Manage Stormwater by Stuart Echols and Eliza Pennypacker. According to the book’s description, “this beautifully illustrated, comprehensive guide explains how to design creative, yet practical, landscapes that treat on-site stormwater management as an opportunity to enhance site design.” GreenWorks’ Washougal Town Square is featured as a case study in this “must-have resource for landscape architects, urban designers, civil engineers, and architects who won't let stormwater regulations cramp their style, and who understand that for a design to truly be sustainable, people must appreciate and love it.” Other GreenWorks projects such as Headwaters at Tryon Creek and RiverEast Center are also included in the book.

• Get your copy at: http://islandpress.org/book/artful-rainwater-design#sthash.uz5WT7tJ.dpuf

UC Davis West Campus Project Wins Award

The University of California West Campus Improvements project recently received an Honor Award for Excellence in Landscape Architecture and Open Space Planning and Design from The Society for College and University Planning. GreenWorks participated as part of a design team to create a vibrant and ecological residential village with streets, town square, greenbelts and public recreation facilities for this 200 acre residential development for the University of California adjacent to the UC Davis campus. The project team included: West Village Community Partnership (Urban Villages and Carmel Partners); SWA Group; Studio E Architects; MVE Institutional; Cunningham Engineering; GreenWorks; Teichert Construction; Moore Ruble Yudell; Mithun; Mogavero Notestine Associates; Lim Chang Rohling & Associates; Meeks+Partners; SunPower.