30th Sep2010

The Ecoroof Tipping Point

by Jason King

Readers of the blog updates for TERRA.fluxus will recognize that a good portion of the work is focused on rooftop-related design (i.e. vegitecture) such as terraces, green roof, and ecoroof projects.  In this vein, and in keeping with my love of interesting infographics, I thought it would be interesting to chart my past and current rooftop greening projects to see how they stacked up as a cumulative body of work.  This consists of work done independently, as well as work completed at previous firms (noted by color differences in the main graphic bar).  It also incorporates physical projects that have been installed (green acreage color bar to the left) – with a caveat that the most recent project is ‘almost’ done, so I moved it prematurely into the actual.  Other projects that are currently in design process or awaiting building construction show up in dot pattern towards the top of the chart to show recent work (date range and cumulative square footage is on the right).  I’ve left out other projects that were designed, in various stages, but did not proceed to become real projects for one reason or the other.

It’s interesting to note the tipping point from late 2009 through 2010 for projects.  From the first project in 2001, it has been a relatively slow progression, with a couple of projects a year resulting in around 10,000 square feet of total rooftop area – culminating in a bit over 80,000 square feet after 8 years.  (note: I’m including the entire roof area that was part of the scope including paved areas, plazas, etc. and not just the vegetated areas)  This isn’t surprising over all, as the city of Portland, particularly downtown where most of my work has been focused, is characterized by small (200′x200′) blocks, meaning that with site constraints, it’s rare to see a project exceed 20,000 s.f.

Converse to the economy, in the past year, the size and overall number of projects increasing (total built and designed – to be constructed) is almost an acre this year – with expected construction of all projects – with the exception of Van Ness Medical Center which is slated for 2012.  This may be an indication of a slight market recovery,  or perhaps a reflection on the health of the ecoroof market utilizing combined incentives plus requirements from municipalities.  Is this a sign that the forces are aligning for making green rooftops a more economically viable asset to construction?  Perhaps it is an indication that the design-build market may be finally starting to bear some fruit through the bundling of services under one banner?

Another aside (not reflected in the graphic but interesting nonetheless) is the breakdown of new construction to retrofit projects (for all those naysayers bent on nixing the viability of retrofit roofs).  Of the 135,770 s.f. installed and designed, 70,100 s.f. of this is retrofit roofs done in conjunction with re-roofing of an existing structure.  This amounts to over half of the projects  (51.6%) that are retrofit, not surprisingly many of these are current projects – as the slow-down in new construction has limited that range of projects.

With more expansive data, it would be interesting to crunch some of the local and regional data (not just my projects) to tease out some trends in the overall industry.  Perhaps a project for another day, as I have some ecoroof projects to work on.

Category : ecoroofs, graphics, installations, landscape, policy, portland, presentations, projects, research, roof gardens, thoughts, vegitecture
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30th Sep2010

Vegitecture Visualizations 3

by Jason King

Final is the series of Vegitecture Visualizations (see previous versions 1 + 2) – this time for another Los Angeles project.  Tremco Sustainable Solutions is aiming to present a vision of what the roof terrace for a commerical office building on the high-end real estate at the corner of Wilshire and Rodeo.  Different from the previous versions, these images depict the simple installation of a combination of extensive rooftop, intensive planters, and living wall – all working in tandem to create a lush and usable outdoor space – making it an extension of the interior offices.  By selectively screening mechanical piping and focusing attention inward, the roof will become a gather space for employees and a place for working meetings.

Category : ecoroofs, environmental, graphics, images, landscape, los angeles, planting, presentations, roof gardens, sustainability, vegitecture
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30th Sep2010

Low Impact Development Tour

by Jason King

Today was a beautiful morning for a tour of Downtown Portland.  The occasion was a group from various parts of Canada in town as part of the International Visitor Program.   I was honored to be asked by the World Affairs Council of Oregon to help out taking a group on a short walk with a focus on Water Resource Management as part of their stay.  The small group included representatives from groups in Ontario, Calgary, Victoria, and Winnipeg – all looking to the Portland area for solutions to issues of stormwater management, low-impact development, water quality, and water resource management.

The tour began at the Brewery Blocks, winding along the streetcar blocks and ending in the North Pearl District, covering many site and stormwater project types – including rooftop terraces, ecoroofs, flow-through planters, swales, green walls, parks, open spaces and urban wetlands.  The walking tour also gave an opportunity for discussion and outlining some of the history of the district, its successes and challenges.  A map of the tour program

More about the International Visitor Program:

“Each year, 4,000 foreign visitors identified by United States Embassies as the future leaders in their countries, participate in U.S. Department of State-sponsored study tours to the United States.  The visitors, representing over 100 countries and a wide range of professional interests, meet Americans of different ages and backgrounds, and learn about the traditions and ideas which characterize the United States and make it unique.   Each visitor spends approximately 22 days in the country and visits 4-5 different states.  Nearly five hundred visitors come to Oregon each year.  The World Affairs Council of Oregon arranges personalized itineraries for each visitor including professional meetings, sightseeing tours and home hospitality.  This person-to-person program builds international friendships and promotes international understanding.”

Category : community, ecoroofs, environmental, landscape, mapping, planning, policy, portland, presentations, sustainability, tours
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28th Sep2010

OHSU CDRC Rooftop Greening

by Jason King

An update on the Oregon Health + Science University (OHSU) project at the Child Development & Rehabilitation Center – as the roofing scope is completed and the ecoroof installation gets closer to happening.  As shown previously, the overall project contains two levels, which incorporate extensive ecoroof areas with paved patio zones for building users.

The overall plan and construction documentation has been completed, resulting in almost 6,000 square feet of vegetated area.  The configuration of rooftop spaces aims as providing exterior spaces to sit, while maximizing green space, aiding in stormwater management.  The graphic also included some images of extensive ecoroof vegetation, showing the color, texture, flower, and variation of even a relatively simple plant palette.

The client also asked for a additional image, showing the character of the roof, to illuminate what level of vegetation building inhabitants could expect.  The goal was to represent the spaces in a way to avoid incorrect expectations – with visions of large trees and shrubs, or significant roof terraces.  Using a simple photo overlay (in this case, the 3rd Level area) gives a simple snapshot of the expected project outcome.

Stay tuned, as the project should be completed by the end of October – and we can compare the vision to reality.  We are excited to be kicking off another ecoroof project up at OHSU as well.

Category : ecoroofs, environmental, graphics, heathcare, images, landscape, planting, portland, projects, roof gardens, sustainability, vegitecture
3 Comm
25th Sep2010

Emerson Street Garden – Update

by Jason King

My last update on the Emerson Street Garden in Northeast Portland was in July – as the groundbreaking celebration was imminent.  There has been some progress on site, with the delivery of the garden shed, some additional earthwork, and installation of the water service.  I was on-site recently to check on the progress and take some field measurements, so snapped a few shots.  More info and to get involved contact Cassie Cohen at Groundwork Portland.

The garden shed, completed by Oregon Tradeswomen Inc. as part of their training programs, is beautiful (and heavy) – sitting in it’s temporary location until a base is prepped in it’s final resting place.

In addition, to get some productivity out of the site this fall, a raised planter bed was developed with strawbales.  The area behind that is taped off is the phytoremediation zone.

This zone is taped off, with warning signs due to the lead contamination.  This area will eventually be fenced, and planted with a range of species which will uptake the high levels of lead in the soils.

This has also given us an opportunity to finalize the site plan – to give shape to the phasing and potential of the site to guide future development activities.  (click to enlarge)

Category : agriculture, brownfields, community, environmental, food, installations, landscape, mitigation, portland, projects, urban voids
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22nd Sep2010

Vegitecture Visualizations 2

by Jason King

Following up on the work at Washington Medical Center in Oakland – more Vegitectural Visualizations to provide clients with ideas of what green roof installations will look like.  Working again with Tremco Sustainable Solutions, these images depict the simple installation of extensive ecoroof on one of the buildings at the Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.  The views below show the entire building roof with extensive sedum vegetation – taking from a taller adjacent building – in a set of before and after shots.  The difference is dramatic, and would have a huge impact in the heat of southern California, where the green roof would reduce ambient temperatures, reduce reflectivity, and provide additional cooling for the building.

A large factor in this project was views from adjacent patient rooms, so an additional image showed the difference between the existing views down onto the gray roof and the proposed installations.  By utilizing these views of nature, the design taps into deeply rooted connections to nature, the cornerstone of Biophilic Design.  This is vital to medical facilities in urban areas, as views of nature have been proven to reduce stress, lessen recovery times, reduce demand for medication, and improve health outcomes.

Category : biophilic design, ecoroofs, environmental, graphics, heathcare, images, landscape, los angeles, presentations, projects, sustainability, vegitecture
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17th Sep2010

New Office Location

by Jason King

TERRA.fluxus is happy to announce a move to new shared office space, right across the river from downtown – located on the rapidly transforming inner east side.  After a summer in the airy warehouse district of the Central Eastside, it’s time to literally move up to new space, moving to the 3rd Floor of the Burnside Rocket.

image via Burnside Rocket

The space is part of the TENpod, a creative services co-op in the building with a range of architects, illustrators, graphic & web designers, construction and other creative small businesses. From their site, the building is a:  “…a LEED Platinum rated, mixed-use building located at the corner of 11th & East Burnside in Portland. The close-in Eastside location allows easy access to downtown and the neighbors couldn’t be better… Noble Rot, Report Lounge and the Doug Fir to name a few. And well, the building’s not bad either with its rooftop garden, bounty of local art, green features and wonderful tenants. Stop by.”

image via Burnside Rocket

My locale located towards the southeast corner of the floor on the window side… come by and say hello.

image via Burnside Rocket

Please update your info to this new address,  email and phone are still the same…

TERRA.fluxus LLC
1111 East Burnside Street #302
Portland, Oregon 97214

And, while I look forward to occupying my new spot, definitely check out the happenings at the former office locale and see what’s up with the Art Department – which is bursting with activities in upcoming months – including a raging Block Party happening tomorrow in the inner Southeast, on Ninth Avenue between SE Madison and Taylor.

Category : announcements, business, portland
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13th Sep2010

Extreme Makeover Gets Ecoroof

by Jason King

There’s been a good amount of buzz in the last couple of weeks in Salem as Extreme Makeover Home Edition mobilized the local design and construction communities throughout the region for a transformation of facilities for the Oregon School for the Deaf (read more about the whole project here).   The project was led by Salem-based Rich Duncan Construction and included renovation of a building basement, plus new facilities including a dorm – seen after ecoroof installation below.

Image via Statesman Journal

TERRA.fluxus, along with design-build partner Teufel Landscape were brought in at the last minute to tweak the design and specifications, track down materials, and figuring out irrigation for the vegetated portions of ecoroof.    The materials plans showed simple layout of elements quickly developed using existing architectural drawings by Studio 3 Architecture as a base.  The resulting pro-bono designs were turned around in a short timeframe to accomodate the fast-paced schedule of construction… going from initial design to completion in a little over a week.

The roof plan was dynamic, but relatively simple, incorporating minimal edging and soil separation at the end of the roofs and edges.  Jason King, landscape architect from TERRA.fluxus, recommended detail modifications for a slightly raised parapet (to allow soil to go completely to edges) and for custom perforated edging and debris screens above scupper drains (seen below) allowing water to drain easily through while keeping soil and plantings in place.

Designed to go atop a TPO membrane supplied and installed by Pfiefer Roofing and Snyder Roofing, the design included 1300 s.f. of area, including 3″ of donated growing media from Pro-Gro Mixes laid on top of a donated drain mat from HD Fowler who also donated materials for efficient spray irrigation using stream rotors.  Collectively, the vegetation, along with custom edging, irrigation, and drainage is a simple residential example of a small-scale roof with a shallow slope (1.5 to 12) that could be replicated on many structures.

Image via Statesman Journal

The instant greenery (a necessity) came from Sempergreen USA, who donated all of the pre-vegetated mats that made for easy installation and full coverage.  Due to a short timeline, there was a big assist from Rana Creek Nursery to get materials delivered from the SF bay area in less than a week – no small feat.   Early on Day 5 of the roof was on, and Teufel Landscape was given a 12 hour window to install the entire ecoroof.  No sweat, they cranked it out by finishing the task in a little over 4 hours.  Some shots of the installation:

Image via Statesman Journal

Image via Statesman Journal

Image via Statesman Journal

The ecoroof was just one part of a monumental undertaking to do 3-months worth of work in less than a week’s time.  TERRA.fluxus is honored to be a part of the project (along with our Green Above Ground partners) and contribute to the students at the Oregon School for the Deaf in a positive, green, and visible way.  Additional photos of the ecoroof from the VIP event last night (additional images below by Jason King) show off the completed project.  The episode will air sometime in October – more to come.

Category : announcements, community, ecoroofs, environmental, images, installations, landscape, planting, projects, publications, sustainability, vegitecture
3 Comm
09th Sep2010

WVMC Food Production Garden – Process in Action

by Jason King

In the initial post for this project at Willamette Valley Medical Center in McMinnville, Oregon – we had just kicked off the process and had a relatively blank slate in terms of program and site area to begin to approach this project.  As with any project, the process determines the outcome – especially so with broad of a site – cannot be rushed.  Rather than seek out a design and move forward, the process involved separate iterations to determine the overall scope of site boundary and gather feedback from the collected stakeholders.  Thus a broad area was considered encompassing a possibility of 2 acres:

This became the basis for the first iteration, which developed a central ‘garden’ flanked on both sides with production agriculture.  This ties the site in with existing service zones, as well as connecting to main circulation pathways.

To further explore this concept, we developed a concept plan

This mostly iterative approach is interesting, because it keeps the mind constantly thinking of new permutations of site layouts, be also generated some details – such as a terrace garden that offered therapeutic options for gardening at ground level upwards in increments to a standing vegetable wall.  This recommendation came from one of the occupational therapists who mentioned that raised beds were great, but only addressed one aspect of accessible gardening.

Although the design was quickly evolved to a new composition, many of the elements people liked were kept in, and others that were neutral or were negatively perceived were removed.  A second version of this includes a similar footprint, but more formal arrangement of spaces – and an orientation that pushed most of the elements towards the east portion of the site.

The third iteration is starting to zero in on an approachable scope and location for the garden.  While aimed at generating feedback, the earlier iterations also identified a number of critical issues that were unknown at the beginning of the process.  These included:

  • Identifying that southern portions of site area are actually outside of the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) which limits potential uses
  • Focusing site installations for growing food towards the east to maintain the large irrigated lawn area that was utilized by the hospital for gatherings
  • Figuring out which areas to bring irrigation service from to provide watering of food areas
  • Aligning scope of detailed development with available funding and phasing – as well as what could be accomplished with volunteer labor

The result is a concept plan that is our ‘working’ version (below), occupying the areas around the existing storage building.  The 4-quadrant production agriculture can be phased in, and allows for crop rotation through the years and seasons.  Food prep and other working parts of the garden are located around the storage building, and served with water.  A large cistern is capturing water from the adjacent rooftop to irrigate the raised beds – while another are is capturing water in swales and for groundwater recharge for a dry-farming demonstration garden.  The main entries include seating, along with orchard, permaculture, berries, and herbs arranged in a more designed way.   Additional elements include storage, composting, expansion/flex areas, and a chicken coop area.  The entrance includes a kiosk that can draw in potential users and provide information on the status and elements of garden development.

It is inevitable that the design will change, but through a simple, iterative design process we came to consensus on a program, site area, overall scope, materials, and circulation.  This will provide a blueprint for further discussion, as well as to determine phasing, cost estimates, and to begin to attract potential donors of materials, money, and labor.  Stay tuned for next steps as the design begins to take shape and phase one is more clearly articulated – as well as further engagement with community and hospital resources.

Category : agriculture, community, food, graphics, heathcare, installations, landscape, planning, projects, sustainability
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