Portland High-Rise To Get 250ft Vertical Garden |
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| By Michael d'Estries in Green Building | January 18, 2010 | |
We’ve seen vertical gardens on the side of buildings before — but never one this, um, HUGE.
Architects and federal officials are planning a series of 250-foot-tall trellises designed to shade the west side of the remodeled Edith Green-Wendell Wyatt Federal Building. The added greenery is just part of a $135 million project that will also feature elevators that generate electricity on the way down, solar arrays on the roof, smart lighting systems that adjust to the daylight available, among other advances. From the article,
Eggleston’s firm, SERA Architects, is working on some questions that weekend gardeners never have to figure out: what plants will grow readily at more than 200 feet in the air and how to water, fertilize, weed and prune at that height. The pruning might be done in much the same way windows are washed, he said, with workers hoisted and lowered on platforms. Rainwater collected on the roof, supplemented by city water, will be piped for irrigating the green wall, he said.
Construction is expected to take 30 to 40 months.
This will truly be a stunning addition to the Portland cityscape if constructed as planned — and we’re thrilled to see other buildings adopt vertical gardens, as well as sustainable features. Check out the full article for more!
Photo credit: Scott Baumberge
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Elemental LED staff said,
This will be truly beautiful! (Although I can’t help but imagine a football game being played on it.) And, as a resident or Portland, I can say it should work quite well, since moss and other plants have no problem growing on every other vertical surface here.
Alicia said,
I’m sure the vertical garden will be beautiful however I wonder if it will cause energy usage to rise due to the absence of natural light once the garden reaches it’s peak height.
manny said,
Good post
Turning a garden on its side to create a verdant, vertical surface not only looks good but promotes wildlife, good air quality and sustainabilty too
Most living wall designs can work in a home environment and more and more people are installing them
Eco English Experience Staff said,
The City of Portland is also doing some amazing things based around a 25 year sustainability plan. Check it out at their website (http://www.portlandonline.com/bps/index.cfm?c=28534)