27th Jul2010

D.I.Y. Ecoroofs

by Jason King

A mere snippet of an article on the Tour de Coops last Saturday, where we had 250 or so folks come through on a hot, hot, hot, day.  Via OregonLive:  “It’s just like Street of Dreams , but smaller and with chicken wire’ offers some pithy quotes on the state of coop design.  As I was talking non-stop for 4 hours, I didn’t have a chance to snap any pics myself, but anyone that did, feel free to shoot an email.

From the story by Steve Beaven:

“…several dozen people streamed into Jason King’s backyard in the first hour of the event, eyeing the coop that he and his fiancée designed and built themselves.  They both admire modern architecture and they wanted something that was environmentally correct. So their coop includes an eco-roof covered in plants. There’s also cedar siding and a run made of chicken wire.  The coop and the run cost roughly $1,000, King said, and took nearly three months to build.  “It was more time-consuming than I was anticipating,” said SuSu Hunniecutt, King’s fiancée.   “The chickens don’t really have an opinion about the coop. It was more for us, how detailed we wanted to be about it.”

While everyone was complementary of the coop and it’s style, there were definitely many good questions, particularly on the DIY Ecoroof… here’s a link to the previous post on Landscape+Urbanism that shows the steps for this.

These questions inspired me to collect pics of said steps…and as a resource, I have developed a quick ‘D.I.Y. Ecoroof Project:  Guide for Small Ecoroofs’ – using the Chicken Cube as inspiration… (link to PDF here) and click the photo for a larger version.

(thanks to my neighbor Adam for snapping the front yard shot above)

Category : community, ecoroofs, graphics, images, installations, planting, portland, press, projects, publications, tours, vegitecture
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21st Jul2010

Hope Garden – Mid-Year Plantings

by Jason King

I had the opportunity to venture up to the Multnomah County Building for a short presentation to the participants in the Oregon Sustainability Experience, and snapped a few shots of the Hope Garden in mid-year splendor.  While we’ve had an admittedly strange weather year, the garden seems to be doing well, with early cool season plants phasing out and warm season plantings putting on some growth.

Some of the section of greens include lettuce and broccoli that’s starting to bolt – opening up some space for late summer and winter plants to come in.

The lasting beauty of some plants – even after their productive life is over, such as the vibrant yellow blossoms on broccoli.


Category : agriculture, ecoroofs, food, landscape, planting, portland, projects, roof gardens, sustainability, tours, vegitecture
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20th Jul2010

Fields of Green in McMinnville

by Jason King

Last week marked the kick-off for an exciting new project to create an organic garden at the Willamette Valley Medical Center in McMinnville, Oregon.  This is an opportunity for Jason King to work with the campus again (now owned by Capella Health) after working on a pair of projects while at another firm*.  This project involves a remnant section of the property to the south, which is envisioned by Becky Prelitz, dietitian at the hospital, as a productive organic garden area.

The team took a look at the site on Friday, showing the context adjacent to the existing track area and the transition zone between the campus and adjacent agricultural lands.   The team includes local master gardeners, urban farmers, staff from WVMC – all working together to create a productive space that will incorporate crops that will be harvested and utilized within the hospital cafeteria.

The initial meeting identified some uses, components, and options for incorporating healing elements, but the focus is squarely on creating a vibrant space for growing a range of veggies for harvest and consumption throughout the year.  The site is truly a tabula rasa, encompassing over 2 acres of land.  Plans are for the garden to be implemented in phases – starting with an initial installation of one-eighth of an acre.

Look forward to more updates as we plan for this field of green – turning grass into a much more robust and diverse use – feeding the community of Willamette Valley Medical Center.

* (Healing Track and Oncology Center completed while at Macdonald Environmental Planning)

Category : agriculture, community, food, heathcare, landscape, planning, planting, projects, sustainability, urban voids
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19th Jul2010

Garden Time features Chicken Cube

by Jason King

This weekend’s episode of Garden Time featured the video on the Chicken Cube – as a prelude to this year’s Tour de Coops (happening this Saturday, July 24th).  Check out the snipped as they interviewed myself and the chickens – and featured some details on the coop design.  Purchase a guide book and see lots of inspiring coops this Saturday, and hope to see lots of folks there.

Category : agriculture, announcements, community, ecoroofs, food, portland, press, projects, tours, vegitecture
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15th Jul2010

We’re Number 27!

by Jason King

The most recent A-List of Landscape Architecture published by the Oregon Daily Journal of Commerce.  TERRA.fluxus made the tail end of the list in it’s initial year – in a tie for 27th (rankings are determined by number of licensed landscape architects).

Category : announcements, business, portland, press, publications
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12th Jul2010

Chicken Cube Gets Its Closeup

by Jason King

Had a fun morning with the folks from local TV show Garden Time as they interviewed myself and the chickens – and featured some details on the coop design – for some upcoming coverage on the Tour de Coops (happening July 24th).  The Chicken Cube will be one of the 30 or so featured coops this year, and should be a fun time to discuss urban chicken-keeping and ecoroofs as an added bonus.  Not sure exactly what order, but episodes will air the next two Saturday mornings (July 17 and 24 at 8:30 am on KATU Channel 6 locally) and other locales around the state (check listings).

Also, you should be able to see snippets of the videos online at their YouTube page (I’ll post them as well once they are up).  Here’s snapshot of them filming some promos.

This weekend offered some time to make some long-awaited upgrades to the coop, including a reconfigured nest box, widened access for cleaning, and the beginnings of the chicken run (framing seen in the photo above).  To see the finished product, check out the Tour de Coops - taking place on Saturday, July 24th, from 11am to 3pm.  The event offers an opportunity to visit a range of coops in Southeast, Northeast and North Portland.  Check out the link to find out where to purchase guide booklets ($15) and get more info from and about great local group Growing Gardens.

Category : agriculture, ecoroofs, food, installations, landscape, planting, portland, presentations, projects, tours, vegitecture
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09th Jul2010

BPA 905 Building – Rooftop Greening for Energy Efficiency

by Jason King

The green roof development for the Bonneville Power Administration’s 905 Building in Portland is progressing nicely – working with Green Above Ground partners Snyder Roofing and Teufel Landscape under General Contractor Allen-Bradbury Construction from Auburn, Washington.  The project is coordinated by the General Services Administration, and is part of energy upgrades as part of the stimulus.  The green roof scope include four roof levels that will transform existing terraces into semi-intensive green roof zones.

The transformation from terrace to green roof gave us the opportunity to build up soil areas, adding topography to create microclimates, absorb additional stormwater, and increase habitat.  This creates a connected grouping of rooftop berms emulating a stream system.

The mounding and soil depth also allows for increased depth to incorporate native perennials, grasses, and small shrubs to add depth and seasonal variation without compromising the efficiency.  The entire roof will be irrigated during seasonal hot/dry periods using captured rainwater, making this roof net zero in terms of potable water use.  A rendering of one of the roof levels is found below (click image for larger version).

Construction is underway and will be completed by the end of this summer.

Category : ecoroofs, graphics, images, landscape, planting, portland, projects, roof gardens, vegitecture
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06th Jul2010

BES Ecoroof Design-Build

by Jason King

The Green Above Ground team is pleased to announce that we have been selected by the City of Portland for their recent request for proposals for design building services for ecoroofs.   On June 30th, the City announced the ‘Intent to Award’ the contract to Snyder Roofing, the prime consultant and lead for our team.  Other team members include TERRA.fluxus, Teufel Nursery, Cascade Design Professionals, and Verde.  Read more about our team here.

The team already has a long track record of current and past projects throughout Portland, and this project will allow us to expand our current marketing efforts through additional pathways that will increase the overall number of projects locally but also provide ongoing materials for the City to use.  Our basic package of information in Phase I includes a number of current activities:

  • Development of materials (print and web) related to dispelling ecoroof myths and providing real examples of case studies with performance and cost data
  • Targeted advertising and articles in trade-related publications aimed at key market leaders and project decision makers, including publications and other outreach activities targeting minority communities
  • Further refinement of the Green Above Ground website (www.greenaboveground.com) to include project examples and information to possible ecoroof clients
  • Tours to showcase built work and address roofing, design, structural, installation and maintenance activities

We’re very excited about Phase II – which will feature the production of a documentary video that will follow the steps from evaluation, design, installation, and maintenance of a selected project, featuring many local area ecoroof projects in the process.  An example of the type of informative video is found in this short film on the Vancouver Convention Centre rooftop – which shows design intent and construction elements.  We hope to emulate great examples such as this to provide a range of resources.

There have been some short local resources in video format focused on residential scale, but we hope to capture the essence of the process from start to finish for a large-scale commercial project.  Resources like those above will continue to inform and grow the local industry, making it possible for Portland to meet the goals of the Grey to Green initiative of installing 43 acres of ecrooof in 5 years.  We’re happy to be a part of making this a reality.

Category : announcements, ecoroofs, environmental, landscape, planning, policy, portland, projects, sustainability, vegitecture
2 Comm
06th Jul2010

Good Food Here Takes Shape

by Jason King

Over the past week, the folks at Urban Development Partners have been hard at work putting the finishing touches on the site improvements for Good Food Here at SE 43rd & Belmont… and carts should start rolling in over the next few days.  This pop-up variety of site intervention involved minimal investment and the ability to take the majority of elements away from the site to be re-purposed elsewhere when the site evolves into it’s final use as a mixed use building.

Planters are placed to delineate spaces and limit access into the site, and areas of traffic to allow some carts owners, if the desire, to come and go.  Tables, umbrellas, and additional plantings are in the queue for upcoming days.  Water Bureau was on-site this morning to install service to the site – making it fully operational.  Overall space for 20+ carts is in the plans, a sure way to offer a variety of culinary experiences.

One major task was cleaning up the site – as weeds and brush had filled up beds and occupied cracks in the pavement.  The asphalt was also patched and coated for a clean lay-down surface for carts.   Simple mulch with some supplemental plantings were added along the street frontage, along with some raised planter beds.  With the exception of some iconic windmill palms at the entries, the site landscaping consists of a range of edibles including evergreen huckleberry, strawberry, pineapple guava, currants, artichokes, fruit & nut trees, and a variety of herbs.  The area in front will act as a public food court with tables and umbrellas for shade – adding life to the streetscape of Belmont Avenue.

The transition from parking to cart area is facilitated with a new boardwalk to connect the two areas, flanked by planters and leading to the main cart space and the food court to the west.  Other than a few trees removed, all existing vegetation was maintained on site to keep it as lush as possible.

The boardwalks spans a number of existing trees which form a secondary seating node within the shady grove.  Picnic tables are ready to be placed once final electrical and water is completed and groundcover is completed. This area is filled with a local agricultural byproduct, crushed hazelnut shells, as a surfacing material – which acts as a great mulch and denotes this area for use.

The traffic coming to new businesses in the area, along with the proximity to traffic from local institution Movie Madness, will make this cart pod a great addition to Southeast Portland.  Additional areas and site amenities include portable toilets,  off-street parking, garbage and recycling, and option to rent commissary kitchen space for food prep down the street.  Cart owners who want to make this their home can check out details on renting space at their website.  (photos by Jason King, © 2010)

Category : business, community, food, installations, landscape, planting, portland, projects, urban voids, urbanism
2 Comm
01st Jul2010

Emerson Street Garden – Groundbreaking

by Jason King

Based on some input from our steering committee, the Emerson Street Garden has undergone a tweak or two in order to reflect the sum of community ideas.  The addition of circular perennial beds and sculpture break the linearity of the space, and a simplified entrance gives more roof for garden space.  Rainwater barrels will capture runoff from tool shed, and raised beds have been grouped into pods to increase space to navigate around them, and beds of a variety of shapes exist throughout the property.

Also, save the date for the Groundbreaking Ceremony being held later this month, which will involve a street party and also mark the delivery of the tool shed, and first moves on making the site a productive garden space for food — and community.

Category : agriculture, brownfields, community, food, landscape, portland, projects, urban voids, urbanism
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