Errol Heights Stormwater Master Plan

The Errol Heights neighborhood located in SE Portland, like many others, includes unpaved streets troubled with stormwater runoff. This caused significant rutting to the existing right-of-way, damage to adjacent private properties, and contributing undesirable sediment to nearby Johnson Creek. GreenWorks has been actively engaged with representatives from BES, PBOT and PP&R to provide innovative alternative approaches to these conditions, dissimilar from standard solutions for stormwater management.  The Errol Heights project will not only provide innovative methods for resolving its current issues, but will also serve as a model for other Portland area neighborhoods to apply similar strategies.  

Silver Falls State Park Nature Play Area

  Have you ever wanted to nap like a cougar, climb into an anthill, build a bird’s nest or dig for insects like a bear? All these activities will soon be possible at the Silver Falls State Park Nature Based Play Area. GreenWorks has started work on phase one of the interpretive natural play area in the Park. The idea grew out of the Oregon Parks and Recreation ‘Stepping Stones’ program with the goal to get kids outside and connected with nature.  A 2009 series of workshops with educators, OPRD staff, designers and of course kids, developed themes, ideas and concepts using the Stepping Stones methodology. When completed the Silver Falls Play area will consist of 16 animal themed play areas. Each play area is dedicated to a certain animal and designed for a specific age group of kids. The young and young at heart can explore a series of play areas situated in a fir and fern wonderland. The first phase of construction will include bear, ant, cougar and bird themed areas. GreenWorks provided OPRD with design support from schematic design workshops to construction documents and construction administration.

Oregon City OR 213 Redland Road

GreenWorks provided planting and irrigation design services for this project known as the Jughandle Project in Oregon City, Oregon. GreenWorks worked closely with the City to develop planting designs for the following:
• A distinctive new landscape gateway feature complementing a rehabilitated Oregon City sign at Prairie Schooner Way, featuring a striking planting palette of native and low-water adaptive plants.
• Pedestrian-friendly streetscapes and green street stormwater facilities along Washington Street, including a roundabout intersection at Clackamas River Drive.
• Private property frontage improvements with strategic vegetative screening at key locations.
In addition, GW developed a long-term planting approach for the 6-acre floodplain mitigation site, including almost 4,300 native deciduous and coniferous trees and 2,400 native shrubs. One significant aspect is the sheer scale of Jughandle Project. In addition to the large number of trees and shrubs planted at the floodplain mitigation site, the City planted 82 new street trees, over 500 landscape trees, and more than 25,000 shrubs and groundcover plants. This creates a substantial positive visual impact on this gateway into Oregon City.
This project received the American Public Works Association (APWA) Project of the Year Award in 2013 ($25 to $75 Million Category).

Columbia Tech Center Nature Play Area

GreenWorks was hired by PacTrust to design a new nature play area within the Columbia Tech Center in Vancouver, Washington. Columbia Tech Center is a 410-acre mixed use development that includes a 12-acre park that promotes a live-work balance for the community.  The new 25,000 square foot playground will become the heart of the park and will be a significant amenity for the development. Once complete, the playground will be a destination for children in Vancouver and the entire metro area. 

The design for the playground encompasses a broad spectrum of play experiences for children of all ages and abilities including a sand and water play area, boulder and log climbing, a large mound with a climbing tower, embankment slide, and rope bridge, and a discovery area with trails, musical instruments, log fort, and densely planted mounds so children can imagine they are in a forest. 

Multnomah Falls Concept Plan

The ultimate goal of this project was to create a vision for the iconic and historic Multnomah Falls site to improve safety and access issues from Interstate 84, to amend pedestrian access and visitor experience of the site, and to re-connect the Multnomah Creek with a natural confluence to the Columbia River. With multiple stakeholders, including the U.S. Forest Services, Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD), the Columbia River Gorge Commission and the Columbia Estuary Partnership. GreenWorks led a multi-disciplinary team to master plan and develop a vision for the future of Multnomah Falls as a new gateway experience of the Gorge. The design team provided conceptual design, master planning, visual analysis, and a circulation Study. The team developed the concept around a comprehensive reconfiguration of the Interstate 84 Multnomah Falls interchange with a new full interchange design and access to Benson State Recreation Area and bridge crossing of Multnomah Creek. The Vision Plan includes a daylighted and restored Multnomah Creek with a natural alluvial fan to the Columbia River for fostering chum salmon habitat.

Crown Park Master Plan

Crown Park is a cherished community park in the heart of a historic neighborhood of Camas, Washington. The 7-acre park is home to many mature fir trees and outdated infrastructure including a 1950’s outdoor swimming pool. The City of Camas hired Greenworks to assess the existing pool and park features and create a new Master Plan for Crown Park that will guide potential redevelopment for the next 20 years.  
Elements of the planning focused on economic studies for repairing or replacing the pool and updating park features including: replacing old paths with new accessible sidewalks, creating a universally accessible destination playground, incorporating an amphitheater for outdoor movies and concerts, placement for a new permanent restroom, multi-use sports court, a picnic shelter, places for sitting, and flexible open space. 

Newell Creek Canyon

Newell Creek Canyon is 233 acres of protected natural area in Oregon City and Clackamas County along Hwy 213. GreenWorks was hired by Metro to refine the design, document, and permit a day use area and multi-use trail system within the canyon. To do this, we worked with an expert team that included Hart Crowser Geotechnical Engineers to assess requirements for improvements within the Geologic Hazard Overlay zone, Cascade Environmental to mitigate impacts in the Natural Resource Overlay District and vegetated corridors of wetlands and streams, KPFF for structural and civil engineering, and Sentiaros for mountain bike access considerations.
 

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Lincoln City Park System Master Plan

The Lincoln City Park System Plan is a city-wide effort to update the city’s master plan for parks, recreation, and open spaces. Work includes a review of existing parks, open spaces, and facilities; design, at a conceptual level, improvements that will increase recreational value and sustainability, and minimize required maintenance; recommendations for new parks and recreation facilities for developing and under-served areas; recommendations for viable new recreational facilities for attracting and retaining tourists throughout the year (including the “off-season”); and providing cost estimating of capital, operations, and maintenance costs for all recommended improvements and recommend strategies for financing. The system plan is intended for the next 20 years of growth for the City of Lincoln City. With a current population of 8400 and a geographic area of 5.68 square miles, the city swells to a summer population of 30,000 to 35,000 visitors. The system plan will accommodate full-time residents of the city as well as catering to the tourist population that drives a significant part of the City’s economy.

The Confluence Project - Sandy River Bird Blind

GreenWorks provided site design, agency coordination, permitting services and construction administration to the Confluence Project throughout the planning, design and construction of the Sandy River Bird Blind project.  The Bird Blind project is one of several environmental and historical art installations artist Maya Lin commissioned for the Confluence Project to celebrate the journey of exploration and discovery of Lewis and Clark.
At the end of a 1.2 mile trail, built primarily by volunteers, you stroll up a gently curving 150-foot ramp to the Bird Blind, constructed of sustainably harvested, durable black locust wood. From this quiet spot, you can view birds and wildlife that inhabit the area today as you learn about the flora and fauna-some of which are now extinct, endangered or threatened species that existed on this site 200 years ago. The artwork serves as a lasting reminder of the impact humans have had on the environment and as a model for a new way to envision the connection between people and the natural world.
The black locust wood used to build the bird blind is a long-lasting, sustainable hardwood that is considered an invasive species in the Northwest. Using locally harvested black locust for this project supports efforts to eradicate the tree from our native forests and reinforces the Confluence Project’s goal of promoting sustainability. The vertical wooden slats of the bird blind are inscribed with the name and current status of each of the 134 species Lewis and Clark noted on their westward journey.

Reed's Crossing

GreenWorks has been working collaboratively with Newland Communities to design a 23-acre greenway at Reed’s Crossing, a master planned community in Hillsboro, Oregon.

The greenway links both the community internally and adjacent neighborhoods by the multi-modal trail network traversing the site. The greenway also supports riparian habitat, passive and active recreation, and open space preservation. In addition to the greenway itself, GreenWorks has designed several parks within the community, including Discovery Park, where residents and students from Hillsboro School District can experience STEM/STEAM learning and nature-based play.

GreenWorks provided conceptual design services for park and open space development, including planting plans, tree preservation and park diagrams, and an extensive bike and pedestrian trail design. 

Reed’s Crossing is a 463 acre mixed-use community that includes over 4,000 new homes of various types. The project will implement a natural area utilized for stormwater management and public open space for the community. The 20-acre natural area will encompass a variety of ecotones including oak savanna prairie, grass prairie, and wet meadow.

GreenWorks continues to work with Newland Communities by furthering conceptual designs and planting plans, developing grading plans for each concept, estimating potential costs, and strategizing on phasing and maintenance for the project.

GreenWorks partnered with Newland from concept through permitting and construction documentation. Throughout the process and during construction, Newland Communities depended on GreenWorks’ construction manager Sean Stroup to oversee and coordinate the construction of the greenway, as well as the streetscape design. Sean exceeded expectations by saving Newland Communities thousands of dollars in irrigation system costs by finding alternatives and reducing the number of irrigation heads needed in the design.

“Reed’s Crossing seamlessly integrates the natural and built environments for the people who will one day call it home.” - Newland Communities

Tasks Performed by GreenWorks:

• Project management

• Public involvement

• Master planning

• Conceptual design

• Graphic renderings

• Site design

• Coordinating permitting

• Habitat enhancements

• Cost estimating

• Construction documents

• Construction management

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Conceptual Visualization

reed’s crossing conceptual drawing of central rectangular stormwater greenspace with trails and homes surrounding

Fairview Woods Park

Fairview Woods Park is a renovation of an existing open space to a neighborhood Park and an example of where we successfully used a sustainability filter to improve park conditions and facilities. Some trails and interpretation existed at the park but graffiti, inappropriate park use and gunfire were common in the park and neighbors were concerned about safety. GreenWorks and SWCA environmental developed a conceptual plan and construction documents to address park safety and upgrade facilities to meet neighborhood recreation needs and provide access to wetland and riparian areas. We also addressed creek and wetland protection and sustainability on site by including native plant community restoration, vegetation management to provide visual corridors, minimal tree removal, use of downed woody debris for interpretive and plaza features, wetland trail improvements, trail decommissioning, minimized parking including ADA space, and upgraded trails to meet ADA standards.

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.

Oak Harbor Clean Water Facility

Photo by Thomas Harris

Photo by Thomas Harris

GreenWorks is part of a multi-disciplinary team that renovated this regional wastewater treatment facility in historic downtown Oak Harbor, Washington. Situated in Windjammer Park, on the shores of Oak Harbor, the facility takes advantage of technological updates to modernize the facility, integrate it with the surrounding environment, and reduce its visual and olfactory impacts.  

“… the facility takes advantage of technological updates to modernize the facility, integrate it with the surrounding environment, and reduce its visual and olfactory impacts.”

Routes for cars and people on either side of the facility provide easy access from downtown Oak Harbor to Windjammer Park and the waterfront. The site plan requires the creation of strong physical and visual links along these axes. The planting and hardscape reflect the coastal setting, with the inclusion of rolling dunes planted with coastal grasses and perimeter sidewalks, emulating local wooden docks. Parts of the facility are exposed to the public, offering opportunities for interpretation along the two main thoroughfares.

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Photo by Thomas Harris

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Photo by Thomas Harris

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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.

Washougal Town Square Raingarden Courtyard and Stormwater

Located at the City Center, this mixed use office/retail project was envisioned to be a catalyst for town center redevelopment. GreenWorks designed the site improvements to reinforce pedestrian and visual connections to the urban fabric and to the Columbia River Gorge area as a demonstration project. GreenWorks implemented goals for a sustainable development model by creatively designing stormwater solutions, rainwater harvesting, a central courtyard, and native plantings in an urban context for the one block development. GreenWorks used 3-D modeling to enable the design team, developer and local staff to visualize design solutions. This project is one of the 10 LEED-ND pilot projects by the USGBC for the nation.

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.