PDX Lounge Takes Off

Next Tuesday in Chicago brings the American green building industry's biggest event: the annual Greenbuild conference, held by the US Green Building Council. (You may remember them from such rating systems as LEED.)

Chicago has emerged as one of the nation's real leaders when it comes to sustainable design. Mayor Daley has led a strong charge to transform the city into one full of greenery and leading-edge technology devoted to combating global warming and other eco-catastrophes in the making. But Portland is no slouch either when it comes to green - we're arguably the nation's leader in this field.

To help showcase Portland's leading role not only in sustainable building design but also a host of eco-friendly products and services, the city has created a bold stage to show Chicago and the world what we do. It's called PDX Lounge and is a public-private partnership anchored by the city's Office of Sustainable Development and a host of local industry partners.

PDX Lounge will be housed at the Chicago Illuminating Company, a 20,000 square foot installation and multimedia experience showcasing critical building blocks for a sustainable economy. Usually the idea of a product and service showcase might sound boring: more brochures to pick up, maybe a free drink and some polite conversation to go with the product pitches at various booths.

But the designers of PDX Lounge, from Zimmer Gunsul Frasca, Opsis Architecture, Thomas Hacker Architects and SERA Architects with the help of many others, have made this more like a party. I'm told the brochures will be nicely hidden away, and visitors will hang out in a tricked-out posh green pad. I'm including a basic floorplan layout here, but also plan to take some pictures of the real thing in Chicago next week.

If you can't make it to Chicago but want to check out PDX Lounge, the organizers will be having a send-off party tomorrow from 4-6PM at the Neil Kelly warehouse: 2636 NW 26th Avenue. Mayor Tom "I'm irrelevant" Potter will be there, as will Commissioner Dan Saltzman and reps from PDX Lounge participating partners like Full Sail Brewing, Nau, Keen, and Gerding Edlen Development. To the cheers of well-wishers, a big truck housing the Lounge will take off for Chicago - fueled by biodiesel, of course.

In the future, PDX Lounge organizers would ideally like to find a permanent home here in Portland for this showcase of Portland's sustainable designs, products and services. My first thought for a locale was the John Yeon-designed former Portland Oregon Visitors Center on Waterfront Park by the Hawthorne Bridge, more recently home to McCall's restaurant but currently seeking a new tenant. What better use for this fine building than a showcase of what we do best?

Comments

[matthew daby]

cool. I'll likely bump elbows with you there brian.

[djk]

OMSI might be a good place for a permanent home, although I don't know if they could offer 20,000 square feet. But there's plenty of foot traffic there already.

[Lyle]

I like the reuse of the idea of using the Yeon (McCalls Restaurant) building. Perhaps they could tie in a restaurant that specialized in locally grown foods.

[Lyle]

Edit last post: I like the idea of reusing the Yeon building ....

[djk]

Another possibility: the vacated Powell's Travel Books site in Pioneer Square. It's not like they're having much success attracting any other tenants, and where better to showcase sustainable Portland than the heart of the regional transit system?