Parker's Landing

The Waterfront at Parker's Landing is a multi-phase mixed-use town center development located on the northern bank of the Columbia River in Washougal, Washington. It is located on the 21-acre remediated brownfield site that previously occupied by the Hambleton Lumber Company's main sawmill. The development has the advantage of approximately ¼ mile of naturally vegetated waterfront. Panoramic views up and down the Columbia and east to Mount Hood highlight the potential of this site.

GreenWorks is collaborating with RKm Development, YBA Architects, and the Port of Camas-Washougal to establish a vision for river access that reflects the sites rich natural and cultural history. The design explores penetrations in the riparian landscape to create diverse opportunities for both visual and physical access to the Columbia River Gorge and to the Columbia River. Utilizing graceful out and back circulation, the structures are reminiscent of fishing platforms historically found along the Columbia.

The design intends to connect people with the water and waterfront, integrating a carefully planned pedestrian esplanade, lined with shops and opportunities for dining and gathering. In addition, several public plazas and pedestrian passages are planned, each featuring a distinct scale and experience for visitors. Utilizing a simple material pallet of wood and native basalt, the design references the sites former use as a sawmill while paying homage to the basalt cliffs of the Columbia River Gorge.  

Vancouver Landing at Terminal 1

GreenWorks provided support to the Port of Vancouver for their Terminal 1 Vancouver Landing development. The 10.7 acre site was the site of their first shipping facility, with a rich history of supporting commerce and trade in Washington, as a site for shipbuilding during World War I, and in later years as a waterfront hotel and conference center. The iconic waterfront location offers visual and physical access to the Columbia River, and is directly adjacent to the Vancouver Waterfront development that has transformed the industrial areas and revitalized the district between Downtown Vancouver and the river with shops, housing, parklands, and the iconic Grant Street Pier.

TERMINAL 1 MASTER PLAN

Our work at Terminal 1 began with the master planning process from 2018 to 2019 to set the vision for how the Port project would be developed to provide commercial and residential opportunities, along with open space amenities and the major attraction, a new Public Market Building. 

Previous planning efforts laid the groundwork for the general project density and form. GreenWorks and team members developed a master plan that emphasized visual and physical connections to the river, new amenity spaces on the waterfront and to support new buildings, streetscape and pedestrian connections, including an important connection of the regional Renaissance trail.

A robust public process gathered feedback from stakeholders and the general public, with an end-point of evaluating multiple schemes to determine the specific conceptual design, types of amenities, and layouts of buildings. GreenWorks developed graphics and animations to support the public process, including workshops, press releases, and websites.

The project also achieved LEED Neighborhood Development Gold certification, showing the Port’s commitment to smart and ecologically sensitive design. The virtual environment, video walk-through, and fly-throughs were instrumental in public outreach, and helped with generating buzz for the project, ultimately resulting in the Port getting significant funding from the State of Washington to help make the project a reality.

ROTARY WAY & RENAISSANCE TRAIL

The initial phases of development began with design and permitting in 2019, including the Vancouver Landing, and the first connection for the Renaissance Trail along the upper bank. This catalyst project aimed to set the stage for future work, and established a design concept that celebrated the industrial history of the site while greening the existing amphitheater, restoring the shoreline, and making vital connections to the adjacent Waterfront Park, and existing trail to the east.

Complexity at the Core

The location of the project on an existing structure, and along the shoreline of the Columbia River were factors that contributed to the complexity from a design, engineering, permitting, and construction perspective. The initial phase included seismic and structural upgrades to the pier, modifications of the existing structure to help with the new accessible route, bulkhead wall interface, and additional piles that allowed for the weight of future seating, decking, soil and site amenities. 

GreenWorks working closely with Port staff and managed the team schedule and deliverables to ensure work and permitting was done to allow bidding and installation within the specific in-water work window. Team members at KPFF led the structural and seismic upgrades, including the addition of new seismic dolphins to stabilize the structure.  WSP led permitting coordination for the local permitting along with state and federal compliance.

The need for adaptability is key with these types of projects, as the team continually learned new information and had to refine ideas, problem solve, and balance the needs of project budget, design goals, permitting requirements and schedule. 

Completion of the structural work allowed for the Vancouver Landing project to move forward beginning in 2020. The design provided a seamless transition from the shoreline areas on the pier that provided seating, landscaping, and views to the river.

Pulling inspiration from the industrial materials with a modern context, the use of wood is prevalent, with boardwalk paths for access, and terraced seating elements, along with stacked timbers evoking the history of lumber shipping on the site.  The plantings included shoreline restoration of the upland areas, and on-structure plantings of adapted, drought tolerant shrubs, grasses and groundcover that will soften the site and be activated with river breezes.

The team was also able to design the adjacent AC Hotel, the first project built as part of the master plan, integrating the site into the larger Terminal 1 plan while developing rooftop garden spaces, entries and patios for hotel guests.

A Celebration of Place

During the design process, the opportunity arose for the site to become a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Clark County Rotary Club, who generously donated funds to the project, with a goal of tapping into the rich history of the site and region. Along with team member Chuck Lennox of Lennox InSites, we worked with the Port and stakeholders to develop an Interpretive plan that wove together the history of Clark County and Vancouver, Port of Vancouver and Terminal 1, the Rotary, and the natural landscape of the Columbia River and renamed Rotary Way.

Elements included interpretive panels that celebrated shipbuilding, agricultural heritage, tribal history, and transportation.  Additional elements like timber stacks tied into the rich site history and whimsical connections to Vancouver history were included, such as the reference to local brew Lucky Lager.

A timeline of the regional history was etched along the pathway to celebrate significant cultural and natural historical events.  Markers connected landscape elements to Vancouver’s sister city, and whimsical benches referenced the history of rail in the region and on the Terminal 1 site.

Visualizations from the Virtual Environment we Created

visualization of future terminal 1 development by greenworks

GreenWorks Commitment to Green Building

GreenWorks is defined by our commitment to green infrastructure and sustainability. Our design experience covers green roofs, green walls, innovative stormwater management, as well as implementing LEED certification on dozens of projects including RiverEast Center, The Encore Condominiums, Washougal Town Square, First and Main Office Building, Lake Oswego-Tigard Wastewater Treatment Plant, ODOT Headquarters, and Lane Community College. Our firm is proud to employ the only SITES AP certified landscape architect and designer in Oregon. SITES AP “establishes a common framework to define the profession of sustainable landscape design and development. It provides landscape professionals with the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, expertise and commitment to the profession.” In 2019, GreenWorks became the first Salmon-Safe Accredited landscape architecture firm, allowing us to facilitate Salmon Safe certification throughout the design process.

Explore our Other Work

Independence Riverfront Park & Downtown Development

Reed’s Crossing Development

Portland City Hall's Better Together Garden

An early concept exploring ways to draw attention to the garden, such as using salvaged materials and free-standing trellises to create vertical growing space

Preliminary Overhead map of the redesign of the better together garden

The GreenWorks team completed a preliminary re-design of Portland’s “Better Together Garden” at City Hall. GreenWorks Landscape Designer Vivian Schoung explained, “The next evolution of the garden is to make it more welcoming to people of all abilities and to increase its visibility.”

The next step in improving the garden, which GreenWorks was tasked to address in this project from the City, is installing walking paths that are friendlier to people of all abilities. New surfacing on the pathways will allow water to soak into the ground, but it will also mean the garden will become more ADA accessible, with 4-foot-wide paths. It will also include raised plant beds of varying heights so people can more comfortably work in the garden.

In spite of its prominent location, the garden can be surprisingly difficult to find if you aren’t looking for it. “Oftentimes people don’t see the garden because it’s raised above the surrounding sidewalk and behind the low wall that surrounds the courtyard,” GreenWorks designer Schoung said. Future iterations of the garden’s design will seek to address this issue.

“The opportunity to give back to the community through our pro-bono services at The Better Together garden was a special opportunity for Greenworks,” GreenWorks Associate Principal Jason King said. “While a small space, the impact is immense as an example of how community landscapes can address food insecurity through thoughtful design while being accessible to all. This reflects our firm’s aspirations for design to contribute to the overall livability of the Portland metropolitan area.”

Northeast 7th Avenue Green Street Capacity Improvements

Portland’s Bureau of Transportation is planning a new pedestrian and bike bridge, the Congressman Earl Blumenauer Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge, over Interstate 84 to connect the Lloyd District with the Kerns neighborhood in a rapidly changing inner NE industrial neighborhood. GreenWorks assisted in diverting stormwater from the area the bridge will be built.

Because the area around the bridgeheads was developed with impervious surfaces, GreenWorks was hired to provide green street improvements to adjacent streets Flanders, Davis, and NE 7th Ave. This work will alleviate some storm pipe capacity issues from aging infrastructure within the bridge's catchment area. In total, we did five stormwater facilities that included inclusion citing, laying out, and construction documentation.

St. Helens Street and South 1st Street Intersection Improvements

GreenWorks partnered with Kittelson & Associates, Inc. to create an intersection design that could be a model for future improvements City-wide. A Kittleson-led traffic study in the spring of 2019 found low traffic volumes with minimal congestion that did not warrant an all-way stop but did find concerns for pedestrian safety and vehicle sight distance. Improvements the team designed included enhanced pedestrian safety, improved vehicle sight distance, bicycle transportation facilities, and easy access to nearby businesses with parking.

Designing Livable Streets and Trails Guide

Photo courtesy of Metro

On October 24th, 2019, Metro, our Portland metropolitan area regional government, released an updated version of their “Designing Livable Streets and Trails Guide.” GreenWorks was part of the team that contributed updates to it.

“Metro’s Designing Livable Streets and Trails Guide provides design guidance for our regional streets and trails. The guidelines were developed to help implement the 2040 Growth Concept and the Regional Transportation Plan.”

— Metro

It’s a set of design guidelines that require transportation infrastructure to be designed to serve the people and environments they’re built in, not just the vehicles that use it. The updates refresh the well-known guide and provide some important updates, prioritizing livability, safety, and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.

We’re particularly proud of our work because Metro will be requesting money from voters through a transportation bond this November that will use these guidelines if funded.

Metro hired Kittelson & Associates to partner with GreenWorks, sparks+sullivan, and KLik Concepts to develop graphics, write new guidance for innovative stormwater infrastructure, and update information about integrating trails. That means our input may have a big impact on our region’s future.

“The guide acknowledges the negative impacts transportation can have on water,” said Lake McTighe, senior transportation planner at Metro.  “It highlights how important green streets can be to solving this.”

Tanner Springs Park

GreenWorks collaborated with Atelier Dreiseitl of Germany to design Tanner Springs Park, an urban park in Portland’s Pearl District. Envisioned as an urban park with a wetland focus, the park serves the developing surrounding neighborhood as well as visitors to the area. The sustainable design features innovative uses of water and stormwater, creating a refuge for people and wildlife in the midst of this bustling downtown neighborhood. The design process was highly interactive involving the citizens of Portland through a series of public workshops.

“The springs connect the park to Tanner Creek that at one time flowed openly through this area; today it flows through large pipes beneath the city streets. Since the design of the park attempts to recapture the area’s past with its native wetlands and flowing runnels, the name is fitting.”

— Portland Parks & Recreation

This one-acre park in the center Portland’s Pear District, Tanner Springs Park is the second of three parks envisioned by the City and Peter Walker Partners. With Walker’s Jamison Square Park serving as an active gathering space for the neighborhood, the Tanner Springs Park design team was charged with making this park, two blocks north of Jamison, contemplative and quiet, designed for personal reflection. The park was to incorporate water and a pedestrian boardwalk that was part of the original master plan.

As the City of Portland settled on the banks of the Willamette River in the late 19th century, it avoided the marshy area north of downtown. This area, where Tanner Creek entered Couch Lake, was an important off-channel rearing area for juvenile salmon, though unrecognized at the time.  As railroad commerce became increasingly important to the young city, Couch Lake was drained and filled to accommodate a large rail yard with the dozens of railroad sidings needed by freight trains to haul out the region’s timber.  Tanner Creek was buried in a pipe deep beneath the developing city.

The block now known as Tanner Springs Park is located right in the center of historic Couch Lake, near the Tanner Creek channel. By the 1980’s this area of rail yards, industrial facilities and warehouses began to be redeveloped. Portlanders began to envision a new neighborhood, directly adjacent to downtown, a place where people could live and work in an energetic urban environment.

It is this rich mix of natural and cultural history that the design team wished to incorporate into the Tanner Springs Park.  We visualized peeling back the skin of the city to discover the forgotten wetland.

Conceptualized as a tilted plane, the park captures a transect of the major natural plant communities historically found in the Willamette Valley:

• freshwater pond

• emergent wetland

• wet prairie

• oak woodland

All plants in the park are native to the Willamette Valley, from the wetland sedges to the stately Oregon White Oak tree used to “invade” the urban streetscape on the western edge of the park.

A spring bubbles up at the top of a large open grassy meadow, trickling down to a wetland pond, sunken 6 feet below street level. The east edge of the pond is scribed by an undulating “Art Wall” constructed of reclaimed railroad rails, some nearly a century old. Lawn terraces, like urban bleachers, run down opposite sides of the park providing lunchtime seating and vantage points to enjoy the scenery.  Pedestrian paths within the park are crafted from recycled basalt cobblestones, once found in the streets of the neighborhood.  This is a place of many historic references, from a natural creek and wetland, to the memory of industry and train yards, to today’s modern city.

However, Tanner Springs Park is not a wetland museum.  It is an urban habitat.  It has its own authentic ecology while utilizing art for interpretation. Though inspired by nature, it is an urban park, with precise terraces and walls creating a frame for the organic core. 

The pond is cleansed biologically, without added chemicals.  All stormwater runoff from the entire block is directed into the cleansing biotope, rather than out to the curb and gutters of surrounding streets.  Vegetation within the park is also managed without chemicals, in order to protect the biological viability of the pond.

PC: Tom Good

Couch Park Inclusive Playground

A child runs along the accessible pathway at couch park in Northeast Portland

Couch Park is located in the Historic Alphabet District in NW Portland. Sharing ownership with Portland Public Schools, the park is the official home of Metropolitan Learning Center’s playground. The park also has a large 10,000 sf plaza that is an abandoned Right-of-Way that is used as a major North-South pedestrian thoroughfare. Finally, there are the rolling, grassy berms and pathways surrounded by a dense canopy of trees that make up the remainder of the park. The re-design of the plaza and playground was the highest priority and most costly of all the 2016 Bond Projects dedicated to refurbishing aging parks and playgrounds in Portland. 

The old wood playground structure beloved by the MLC students was removed in 2015 due extensive structural rot and multiple hazards. The plaza was no longer ADA accessible due the the humps and bumps from differential settlement between concrete bands and brick pavers. The plaza and playground had old trees, some that were in poor conditions, others that would present challenges for designing and construction around without serious impacts.

The playground, Portland’s first inclusive playground on the west side, is designed for kids of all ages and abilities and is a true hybrid of natural elements and factory built play equipment.  The focal point being a fort on a mound that skirts between large trees to make kids feel like they are in a tree fort, is by far the coolest thing in the playground that kids will use as a centerpiece to create their own adventures and games.

The design for the plaza and playground are within the same footprint as the previous spaces as required by the language of the bond. The plaza’s bold paving patterns are based on the historic grid of bricks and concrete bands but use different textures of concrete to replicate the  historic paving pattern. 

A distinguishing characteristic of the design is demonstrated in the forward thinking of incorporating sustainable stormwater practices into parks and urban plazas. The design showcases vegetated stormwater planters as a primary space maker verses pushing them to the side to inconsequential spaces as mandatory minimum add-ons. The flow through planters define the circulation zones, separate the playground from the plaza, create edges for sitting, and provide a healthy splash of color to a very urban neighborhood. 

Hermiston Festival Street

To stimulate economic activity downtown and enhance the public spaces in the Hermiston Urban Renewal District, the City of Hermiston identified development of a downtown festival street as a crucial factor in encouraging a more vibrant downtown.  The festival street, planned for the existing right-of-way along NE 2nd Street will allow flexibility for programmed events throughout the year and will open to traffic when not in use. Additionally, the need to create a gateway into the downtown has also been identified as an opportunity to create a safer intersection. These improvements will serve economic development goals and provide a sense of arrival and place in Downtown Hermiston.  

Astoria Visioning, Planning, and Wayfinding

As part of a comprehensive visioning project, GreenWorks helped to envision the future of the Astoria riverfront. The design team assisted in planning for open space and pedestrian connections that reinforce the values of the community and preserve the special character of this historic city. GreenWorks also helped facilitate visioning workshops and provided the community with imagery, plans, and strategies to guide future development. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) honored this project with its Walter B. Jones Memorial and NOAA Excellence Awards. GreenWorks went on to develop concepts for the Astoria Riverwalk with the goal of developing a multi-modal approach that accommodates a historic trolley line, business access for deliveries, bicycle traffic, as well as a pedestrian trail along the waterfront complete with wayfinding elements. The design character for the Riverwalk elements reflects industrial waterfront themes. Sketches were prepared to show unifying themes incorporated into varied settings along the waterfront. GreenWorks also developed the wayfinding plan for downtown Astoria. The scope includes preparing a concept plan detailing locations of proposed improvements and illustrations of signage components. Working closely with the City and Downtown Association representatives, GreenWorks prepared a set of signage typologies to provide the community with a cohesive downtown wayfinding plan.

RiverEast Riverfront Connection & Shared Greenstreet

The Holman Building, redeveloped for commercial mixed – use as the RiverEast Center, includes office space for two corporate headquarters and retail uses. RiverEast is an important project in the redevelopment of Portland’s inner eastside, located adjacent to the Willamette River and Certified LEED Gold. Major site design components included converting the Clay Street ROW adjacent to the building into a pedestrian plaza that provides a connection for eastside neighborhoods to the Willamette River Greenway. Unique features include creating a green parking lot, retrofitting Water Avenue to a Green Street, conveying and treating rooftop runoff with artistic downspouts and stormwater basins, and re-using recycled materials from building demolition for site wall features. The project exceeds City of Portland standards for stormwater management by treating roof runoff from the building through stormwater flow-through planters. The development was coordinated with many local agencies including Portland Development Commission, Portland Bureau of Planning, Portland Bureau of Transportation, and Bureau of Environmental Services. The project relies heavily on native planting schemes to conserve water consumption and promote bio-diversity. GreenWorks services included schematic design, design development,  and construction documentation services.

Sisters Cascade Ave Streetscape

GreenWorks was part of the team working on the Cascade Avenue (US 20) Streetscape Plan in the City of Sisters. US 20 provides a connection across the Cascades Mountains between the growing communities of Central Oregon and the Willamette Valley’s major population centers. Thousands of trucks and passenger vehicles travel through the tourism-based town of Sisters each day making US 20 both a main street and a major regional freight route. As a result, alleviating conflicts between local and through traffic and pedestrians enjoying the vibrant business district along this corridor was a major goal of the project.

The Cascade Avenue Streetscape design makes improvements to US 20 that address pedestrian/motorist conflicts, improve the walk-ability of downtown, and express the identity of the City of Sisters. The project team presented five different streetscape design concepts with various alternatives for each set of streetscape features, including trees, furniture, and paving. These were reviewed by the community at a series of open house sessions. The design team subsequently synthesized the community’s input into the Preferred Streetscape Design Concept. The result is improved safety along the corridor, green street improvements, design features that express the community identity of Sisters, and economic development within the community. The project was completed in 2014.

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The Encore

Located at the intersection of NW Overton and 9th Street in the heart of the Pearl District, this site is home to a 15-story condominium residential tower. GreenWorks was hired to provide landscape architectural elements for the development parcel, and adjacent public properties. GreenWorks designed a dramatic entry plaza, park lane, enhanced pedestrian areas, and a viewing garden that will be energized by stomwater runoff flowing over recycled glass. This project is targeting LEED Silver achievement.

Beranger Condominiums Ecoroof

GreenWorks was responsible for a number of sustainable strategies for the Béranger Condominiums. The ecoroof project, the first in the City of Gresham, included 3,000 s.f. of extensive vegetated rooftop area. In addition, the project included using rooftop flow-through planters in tandem with the ecoroof for an integrated stormwater strategy that manages all of the building run-off prior to it reaching the ground. This minimized cost and maximized useable open space. Amenity areas were included, with a 1000 s.f. rooftop plaza for residents using raised pedestal paver systems, and incorporating seasonal plantings. The overall design provides stormwater management that is functional, serves as an amenity for residents, and is helpful as a marketing tool for attracting prospective buyers.

Gresham Center for the Arts Plaza

 GreenWorks designed the new Center for the Arts Plaza in downtown Gresham for the city and its non-profit partners. The plaza is the new “living room” for Gresham and features a dramatic integration of the arts using light, water and sound. Key features include “art pillars” dedicated to literature, music, performance and fine art. Additionally, an interactive public fountain, large gathering space for concerts and dynamic lighting effects enhance nighttime activity. The plaza spills out into a “festival street” along Third Street and is host to many community events such as farmer’s markets, civic ceremonies and patrons of the Center for the Arts.

Southwest First and Main Office Building

The First and Main Office Building is a $100 million, 15-story office tower in the downtown Portland core with views of the waterfront as well as downtown open spaces. The building received LEED Platinum Certification and offers unique amenities, including a large- bike hub, as well a 13,000 s.f. of extensive ecoroof and a 15,000 square foot rooftop terrace. Both of these amenities work to achieve the stormwater management strategies, as well as provide habitat, reduce heat island effect, and provide a pleasant place to relax for office workers. Included in the terrace is a large open plaza zone, looping pathway for exercise, and large planters with a range of lush vegetation. Acting as an oasis in the city, these spaces add to the sustainability and marketability of this high-profile project which includes highly-efficient irrigation, quality materials, and innovative design.

MODA Center Exterior Project

GreenWorks provided services for the Portland Trail Blazers’ Moda Center Exterior project. The project will beautify the Center’s landscaping with native and drought-resistant plants, provide waterproofing, and replenish the grounds with healthier soils and stormwater facilities in order to reduce the site’s landscaping water use by 20-30% among other progressive initiatives. This work represents the first phase of sustainable improvements around the arena and will further the Trail Blazers’ efforts for sustainability in keeping with their ideals.

Pendleton Westgate Gateway

This project implemented a high-priority project identified in the Pendleton Court Avenue/River Parkway Master Plan prepared by Greenworks.

The goal of this project was to create a meaningful gateway at the Westgate entrance to downtown Pendleton. The previous conditions at the Westgate Intersection were a confusion of unsafe vehicle traffic circulation, a multitude of cluttered overhaul utilities and barren landscape slants. The City of Pendleton and ODOT reconfigured the intersection to provide safer traffic movements and reduced utility pole/lightpole clutter to create a simpler and safer intersection solution.

GreenWorks worked with the proposed intersection improvements to enhance the visual gateway aspect of the project. GreenWorks designed landscape and interpretive improvements and displayed decorative wall features to create a strong sense of arrival at this intersection. The decorative wall design was reputed at the Riverfront Park location to help tie together corridor improvements

Russellville Commons

Russellville Commons, located adjacent to the TriMet MAX stop at E Burnside and SE 102nd Avenue, is a three- to four-story assisted living facility with group care units for Alzheimer patients built atop an underground parking garage. It is one of the first multi-family developments in Portland’s Gateway District, part of the 1996 Outer Southeast Communtiy Plan’s densification initiative.

GreenWorks is designing streetscape improvements for Phase III, as well as an interior courtyard space that includes a memory care courtyard and a fountain. Significant streetscape elements include flow through planters that manage the building’s roof runoff along E Burnside and SE Ankeny Streets, and an entry plaza with special paving along and across SE 103rd Avenue extending to the Phase II section of the project. The interior courtyard space includes sculptural walls that provide a variety of spaces for individuals and for group interaction, as well as a tree-covered outdoor dining area. A circular vegetated swale handles courtyard stormwater runoff and provides a central landscape feature that echoes notions of healing and tranquility for the building’s residents.

Estacada Library

GreenWorks engaged with the design team and Estacada residents to develop a new two acre library site that serves as a community hub. The new library took advantage of its location on a former mill pond that was becoming a new community public open space. Our team designed the site to: take advantage of views along the pond edge; connect to a public trail system and parkland; create outdoor courtyard space for library users; and treat and infiltrate stormwater using ecological principles. Stormwater collection and conveyance features were designed to be visible to the public and help to create identity. The site design incorporated native plant communities in the overall planting design.