t e r r a . f l u x u s

28th May2011

Vertical Wetland

by Jason King

The plans for the Move the House Apartments are taking shape, including a change in the configuration of the Vertical Wetland (previous version here). Working closely with artist Ivan McLean, we have reconfigured the vertical wetland to address some concerns about durability and the capacity to handle large amounts of water. The reconfigured version is a corten steel ‘wedge’ that will fit into the existing plant bed, seen in the revised images below:

A detailed cutaway shows the way water will move through the structure, with a primary flow traveling along the front edge with planted pockets of vegetation and soil. A secondary overflow allows water to escape down the back side and inside the planter. In a torrential storm, water will overflow the circular ring inside the top of the planter and fall inside the vegetated zones. All water off the roof will be captured inside the vertical wetland feature, and will overflow to a subsurface pipe that runs to the larger site flow-through planter to the south. The structure is also elevated slightly above grade, allowing the art to float above the planting surface. This will assure a dynamic feature visible from within the site and along Division Street.

Category : art, details, graphics, installations, landscape, living walls, materials, planting, portland, projects, rain gardens, stormwater, sustainability, vegitecture, water, wetlands

2 Comm

24th May2011

BPA Green Roof – Construction Updates

by Jason King

Some updated photos of the Bonneville Power Administration Building Green Roof, currently in the last stages of construction. Progress has been swift on Levels 5, 6, and 7, with pavers, edging, growing media, and plantings coming in, to be quickly followed by irrigation and completion of the large fourth floor roof. See below for some in-progress images of the work happening on-site.

plant and rock ‘stream’ layout on level 7

fine tuning the grading on level 6

grading and stream bed on Level 5

diversity of semi-intensive plantings including small scale trees and shrubs

remaining areas will get sedum cuttings; note custom bench that mounts to roof davits

Category : announcements, ecoroofs, environmental, habitat, installations, landscape, planting, portland, projects, roof gardens, stormwater, sustainability, vegitecture

2 Comm

18th May2011

Lake Oswego Stormwater Design Guidelines

by Jason King

TERRA.fluxus is pleased to announce it’s involvement with the team, led by prime consultant Herrera Environmental Consultants, who was recently contracted by the City of Lake Oswego to update of the City’s stormwater codes and manual. Along with TERRA.fluxus, Jeanne Lawson Associates is on the Herrera team to coordinate public involvement.

The project is just getting underway, and will continue over the next several months. Specific scope for TERRA.fluxus will include assisting in development of a stormwater tour for information gathering, helping craft design guidelines, and development of landscape-specific elements to ensure stormwater facility designs meet the aesthetic expectations of local residents, and also reflect the community values of Lake Oswego. This work builds on a solid foundation of experience in large-scale municipal planning, stormwater management design, and work associated with stormwater manuals.

Thanks to Herrera for making me a part of the team!

Category : announcements, community, environmental, landscape, planning, policy, projects, stormwater, sustainability, urbanism

0 Comm

16th May2011

Kohler Pavilion Green Grows at OHSU

by Jason King

Initial installation of the Oregon Health + Science University Kohler Pavilion Green Screen is starting going in (see design concept here). The first few planters allowed us to experiment with the stakes to create a ‘jump point’, which gives the plantings, which are limited to the relatively small existing planters, more of a broad span to create more expansive screening on the exterior of the parking structure.

After some field fitting, we landed on a configuration that was suitable and provided 10′ of width for plantings to spread. Teufel Landscape provided the installation services, which also included cleaning out existing vegetation, removal of old soil, rehabilitation of irrigation system, as well as installation of new soil, plants, and trellis pieces.

As a cost-effective and long-lasting solution, we re-purposed nursery stakes in varying lengths to hook onto the existing trellis, then return back to the planter for a stable surface to allow plants to trail. These wires had enough rigidity to span up to 10 feet, and the diameter closely matched the existing trellis structure.

The structure provides an armature for new plantings, which aim to create a mixed evergreen screen that will provide significant coverage of the parking structure when viewed from adjacent areas. Rather than rely on one type of plant, the design used three different types for additional variety and to also provide different growth characteristics. The foundation of the design is Clematis armandii (Evergreen Clematis), a hardy evergreen vine that is indigenous to our region. Each planter has three Clematis to provide a solid foundation. Alternative varieties of plants complement this foundation, including Akebia quintana (Fiveleaf Akebia) which is a vigorous climber, as seen below.

In addition, we included Gelsenium sempervirens (Carolina Jessamine) which adds some great texture and yellow flower color to the mix. You can see it below alongside the Clematis.

Finally, the plantings included another vigorous non-native, Holboellia coriacea (China Blue Vine), which should provide a dense covering of evergreen vegetation as well as some sizable purple seed pods for accent.

Rather than rely on one species, the design takes advantage of the diversity of material to provide some resilience if a particular species under-performs, and also provides more variety, texture and color than just using the native Clematis. Our region is short on quality, native, evergreen climbers, so augment this will non-invasive adapted species provides the opportunity for screening that is functional as well as beautiful.

Category : announcements, details, heathcare, installations, landscape, living walls, materials, planting, portland, projects, schools, sustainability, vegitecture

0 Comm

10th May2011

Bringing Water to the Bridger Water Garden… Finally!

by Jason King

The Bridger Water Garden, which has been developed over the past ten years and has included a number of volunteers, designers, engineers, and other contributors, has transformed this asphalt parking lot (see below in the pre-existing conditions) into a vibrant and educational amenity for students of Bridger Elementary School in Portland. The original design included pavement removal and a number of design moves to create spaces alongside the water treatment areas, allowing for students to interact closely with the site ecology. The majority of work was completed, and the garden has been used over the recent years, but the last missing piece of the puzzle was the final disconnection of the downspouts to direct roof water into the garden. The time has finally come.

conditions prior to garden installation

shot of garden – intermediate condition

The garden has filled in nicely, and volunteers, students, teachers, and parents have done a fabulous job of doing maintenance, repairs, additions, and cleanup to get the site ready for water. The updated plans are going to focus on getting water flowing from the rooftops into the garden, with disconnection of three downspouts that will be routed under paving and daylight into the garden. Two of these will be simple subsurface pipes, and the third will express water through a trench drain and transparent downspout section. The project applied for a received a Community Watershed Stewardship Grant (CSWP) from the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services to fund upgrades, including downspouts, planting, and other upgrades. The team has also been working closely with partners at Portland Public Schools to address safety and maintenance concerns. A diagram of the scope is seen below:

In addition to the upgrades to the site, we are planning on developing a new small-scale ecoroof to complement the new information kiosk that was installed earlier this year. Students have been propagating sedum cuttings in classroom, which will be transplanted to the roof once the membrane, new edging and growing media are installed.

Installation should happen on all fronts over the coming summer and make the garden ready for water in the fall… the garden, and the long list of volunteers that have worked on this project over the years, will be very happy to see that day.

Category : announcements, community, environmental, installations, landscape, planting, portland, projects, rain gardens, schools, stormwater, sustainability, water

0 Comm

10th May2011

Metro H2W Green Roof Design

by Jason King

We are wrapping up design and construction documents for the green roof at the Metro Household Hazardous Waste Facility in northwest Portland. The project is located on the Central facility site and processes a range of chemicals, paints, and other items that are diverted from drains and landfills. The location is also in the industrial zone that exists between Forest Park and the Willamette River, which has typically be denuded of indigenous riparian vegetative cover, so adding patches of green space are important.

Working along with architects from ORANGEWALLstudios and structural engineering from Cascade Design Professionals our team won a competitive RFP that was awarded early Spring of 2011, and the fast track project is expected to be wrapped up prior to this upcoming winter. The multi-roof structure is over twenty years old and in need of replacement, and Metro decided to include green roofing to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability in the region. The existing structure also presented some challenges to structural and seismic loading – but we did manage to find a compromise with a system that came in around 15 pounds per square foot.

The design focused the majority of greenery on the upper roof, and through some alternatives analysis, expanded to some of the lower roofs, resulting in around 2500 square feet of area, or around 65% of the building vegetated. Permitting and review are next – and public bidding set for early summer, roofing work in late summer, and green roof sometime in September. Due to the plans for low maintenance and little need for aesthetics, the roof will be a simple palette of sedum cuttings atop 2.5″ of lightweight growing media, and will include efficient spray irrigation for hot summer months.

Look for photos and updates this summer as the project progresses.