Gateway and the Nation'sTop Young Green Builders

This month’s issue of Dwell magazine features a design competition for a building in Portland’s Gateway neighborhood. The story is about the Emerging Green Builders, a branch of the US Green Building Council for young architects. Last November, the EGB held a competition at the Greenbuild conference, held in Portland. Entrants were assigned a mixed-use project that developer Ted Gilbert would eventually like to build there.

Here’s the “Competition Challenge” as assigned by the USGBC:

“Design a LEED Platinum, mixed use office and residential building, which will serve as the landmark of an entire District, along with an adjacent park and community gathering place. These components will be the heart of Phase 2 of The Elements at Gateway™; a new 13-acre, transit-oriented, urban mixed use redevelopment project in Portland, Oregon. The project is being designed to create a unique District and dedicated to being the most sustainable urban community possible."

"The District has been designated by METRO as: 1) The region’s most accessible location by the year 2017; and 2) Currently Portland’s only designated Regional Center. METRO would like to see a “second downtown” spring from the site, which ultimately could consist of approximately
80 acres."

Granted, the idea was never that the winning design would actually be built. But the winning design is impressive. It’s called the “Re-Orientation” building and features roof gardens, sun shades, porous pavement and other green features within a vibrant exterior palette.

Reading about Re-Orientation, I was curious how closely Gilbert had watched the competition and to what degree he considered the winning design worthy of real consideration.

Speaking by phone, Gilbert took a diplomatic tone. “There is no monopoly on ideas,” he told me. He expressed openness regarding the input of winning young architects Gregory Thomson, Amit Price Patel, and Christine Scott of Boston firm Goody Clancy. Understandably, though, Gilbert also didn’t volunteer to sign these relatively inexperienced emerging green builders up (eligibility requires competitors have less than three years of experience) for what is a promising but still risky plan for the neighborhood.

Gateway is essentially a suburban-type neighborhood for which Gilbert, Metro and the Portland Development Commission (through assignment of an urban renewal area there) envision a more urban future. That won’t come without growing pains, and Gilbert doesn’t yet have the momentum to build at the gangbuster speed of Pearl District developers. So when it comes to the larger type of multi-block project the EGB contestants designed for, Gilbert says it will have to wait.

But I think one way or the other, Gilbert ought to at least indulge Thomson, Patel and Scott with a phone call to talk ideas.

Understandably, developers starting ambitious new efforts often rely on established service-oriented firms to start out (Ankram Moisan is currently his architect). But if Gilbert is dreaming big for Gateway, ultimately he’s going to need big talent and really invigorating ideas to make his vision a reality.

Comments

[Ray]

Back in the early 90's (can't remember the year exactly), I sent in a LTE at the O that was printed on Christmas Day on the Gateway District being the media center for our bid for a Winter Olympics with light rail pushed out to a village without cars east of Sandy. After the Olympics the apartment/condos would sold/rented. The media center was envisioned pyramid style (20 plus stories) to mirror Mt Hood and would be our movie and TV production magnet since it would have many sound stages. But, it isn't to be our architectural icon as I had hoped.

I'm happy that Tim Herbert is doing what he is doing with a focus on LEEDs. All the work (102nd improvements, 92nd improvement at Lents, Metro focus on Gateway) should create a great asset for East Portland. It could, as envisioned by Metro and east-siders, be the best location for development until the 2040 Plan needs an update. In the last ten years, there have been some nice homes placed on Rocky Butte, Mt. Scott, and the Gresham Buttes. So, those who say the executive types haven't noticed or purchased homes in East Portland and East County need to look again.

Plus all the Vancouverites who flock to our retail joints and resturants in East Portland.

Ray

PS Look into the Springwater planning and zoning process for an article. I made suggestions and at least one (rooftop garden views of Mt Hood with eco-roof zoning perks) might very well make it into the codes(Whitford Roof Code #?), per Terry Vanderkooy. Terry also said the students from PSU included the eco-roof perks/requirements into the industrial zoning which was an ingenious suggestion (I only thought of the town center area) because looking across US 26 you will see green roofs instead of the whites, greys, and silvers in standard flex-space contruction. I bet he would love it if the City got more print.