Sustainability and green design

 

Long before there was LEED, I already was active and proactive in the world of environmentally-sensitive and energy-efficient design.  It was a mandatory component of the architect’s education when I was in architecture school.  At that time, the focus used to be on physical and design elements: site orientation, sun angles, shading by architectural elements, shading by trees, natural ventilation and light.  These were topics that the architect could control as an individual.

But the subject has become so highly technical that today it can be achieved only through a team effort that includes owner, architect, contractor and lots of engineers, all of whom need to be orchestrated by a LEED AP [accredited professional].  I have managed three major projects that exemplify the more complicated - LEED era - sustainable design:

Wilson Pool - which incorporated some of the most visible and exciting green features, but could not achieve LEED certification because of its limited scope of work - it lacked a site component, such as parking or yard areas;

University Park Community Center [now called Charles Jordan Community Center] - which was renovated over several phases and achieved LEED Certified for the final phase;

East Portland Community Center Pool Addition which achieved LEED Platinum and is believed to be the only aquatics center to have achieved Platinum [as of this writing in 2010].  See articles below for more statistics:

    Aquatics International

    Oregonian

    Solaripedia

    East Portland News

    bNet

More limited scope projects include various types of porous paving at Multnomah Art Center, University Park Community Center and Pittock Mansion.

Selected examples