Sustainability Memo #3
Memo to: Kim Hughes, Instructor, Sustainable Building Advisors Course, Unit #3, site assessment of the downtown field trip.
From: Bud Munson
After seeing all of the buildings it was fairly clear to me that the people of Portland, Oregon are a long way ahead of the rest of the country when it comes to sustainability. Of the four buildings we looked at, all had some quality of efficiency or sustainability. The people who gave us the tours did say that not all of the buildings were truly as efficient or as sustainable as they could be. However they all took as many steps as they could to increase the overall sustainably through maintenance practices and basic building use. By taking as much advantage of the efficiency potential of each building they took what could have been a careless waste of resources and turned that around.
Since this needs to be fairly short I have decided to focus on the building I felt took advantage of what I felt were the best intrinsic qualities. I felt the National Guard Armory was the most interesting building that we looked at. I appreciated the historical significance of the Brewery building but thought the Armory took advantage of more of its existing possibilities. They made changes to incorporate some new ideas into the building giving it a very interesting and functional facelift.
On the outside of the Armory we saw where they have installed a gray water system to use run off, and, I believe, interior gray water, to create not only an aesthetic, but functional water feature and planting area. Another area of the original building that was kept and used very well was the exterior brick wall By using modern engineering techniques, they were able to preserve the beauty of the outside of the existing building while strengthening the overall structure. They also created an interior shell that worked extremely well for the performance area. By doing this they were able to increase the efficiency of the building and create a space that allowed for better noise control within the theater itself, clever and effective.
As we heard the story of the Armory’s past, it was nice to realize that, by using an existing building, they could not only use less resources to create a beautiful new space, but also find smart and thoughtful ways to set an example for future redevelopment projects in the “Pearl District” development area. This building has a wonderful rich history and they created displays to highlight this. I felt that even though that aspect of the building didn’t have any real sustainable qualities, it is also important to sustain and preserve the rich history of the Portland downtown area. It is important to note that sustainability comes in many colors and sizes and we should always keep our eyes, hearts and heads open to possibilities.
Bud Munson
Bend, Oregon
