by Deone Benninghoven, M.S.M. (about the author)
LEED Certified +
If you think that you are seeing a lawn on the top of the building above, you are. Portland is progressive. I discovered this when my mother lived there. If there is a way to make a public project more eco-friendly, count on Portland, OR, USA to accomplish just that in some never-thought-of-before way.
LEED Certified +
If you think that you are seeing a lawn on the top of the building above, you are. Portland is progressive. I discovered this when my mother lived there. If there is a way to make a public project more eco-friendly, count on Portland, OR, USA to accomplish just that in some never-thought-of-before way.
The
sky gardens at the new Oregon Health & Science University building
are teaming with flora built into the exterior of the new Center for
Health & Healing design. "The Oregon Health & Science University is
dedicated to improving the health and quality of life for all
Oregonians through excellence, innovation and leadership in health
care, education and research. One of the largest employers in a city
and a state known worldwide for leadership and dedication to
conservation and the environment, OHSU’s CHH building represents the
state-of-the-art in integrative design, involving the hard work and
input of many multi-disciplinary professionals. . ..
The
Center is linked to Marquam Hill by the Portland Aerial Tram, which has
proved to be a major success. According to OHSU, this highly efficient
passenger conveyance between their facilities is estimated to eliminate
2 million vehicle miles and 93,000 gallons of gasoline annually, and
reduce yearly greenhouse emissions by more than 1,000 tons. OHSU CHH
has both extensive greenroofs (or ecoroofs) and intensive greenroofs
(roof gardens), with a mixture of public and private accessibility" "
(extracted on 29 March 2010 from http://www.greenroofs.com/blog/2010/03/19/gpw-oregon-health-science-university-center-for-health-healing/).
Yes, this is a state-of-the-art facility. Yet, it also integrates sustainability principles that will offset a portion of the cost of patient care many times over for the life of the building. This means the building is 61% more energy efficient than the building code for Oregon state. (For a full outline of the rigious standards for the state click here.) This mixed-used building also reclaims rain water to irrigate the insulating layer of lawn on the roof and saves $68-88,000 in annual water bills in the process. That's about 2.1 million gallons of potable water per year.
“After deducting tax credits and other financial incentives, the green premium for this building was a mere 1.13% of the total project cost. The facility’s return on investment will be just over one year, after which the energy savings are projected to be $600,000 annually” (extracted on 29 March 2010 from http://www.greenroofs.com/blog/2010/03/19/gpw-oregon-health-science-university-center-for-health-healing/).
“This is a remarkable achievement given the complex array of uses and systems that were needed in the building. We had to capture every opportunity to integrate together function, architecture and engineering. This is really the result of a great collaborative team effort. We have set a new standard for OHSU and for other projects in Portland.” ~ David Crawford, chief financial officer of the OHSU Medical Group (press release).
Yes, this is a state-of-the-art facility. Yet, it also integrates sustainability principles that will offset a portion of the cost of patient care many times over for the life of the building. This means the building is 61% more energy efficient than the building code for Oregon state. (For a full outline of the rigious standards for the state click here.) This mixed-used building also reclaims rain water to irrigate the insulating layer of lawn on the roof and saves $68-88,000 in annual water bills in the process. That's about 2.1 million gallons of potable water per year.
“After deducting tax credits and other financial incentives, the green premium for this building was a mere 1.13% of the total project cost. The facility’s return on investment will be just over one year, after which the energy savings are projected to be $600,000 annually” (extracted on 29 March 2010 from http://www.greenroofs.com/blog/2010/03/19/gpw-oregon-health-science-university-center-for-health-healing/).
“This is a remarkable achievement given the complex array of uses and systems that were needed in the building. We had to capture every opportunity to integrate together function, architecture and engineering. This is really the result of a great collaborative team effort. We have set a new standard for OHSU and for other projects in Portland.” ~ David Crawford, chief financial officer of the OHSU Medical Group (press release).
May
we establish a way to collaborate and improve our public systems in
each of our local areas. May we re-think how we approach our
individual building projects and add emerging sustainability in
creative ways.
Tonight will be the truth about Gribbles. You may be a bit surprised what gribbles nibble. Followed by a story on the Renewable Resources Foundation who protects the ongoing viability of Alaska's fish and game resources and their habitat.
Tonight will be the truth about Gribbles. You may be a bit surprised what gribbles nibble. Followed by a story on the Renewable Resources Foundation who protects the ongoing viability of Alaska's fish and game resources and their habitat.
Deone Benninghoven, M.S.M.
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