A marketing philosophy I struggle with is the concept of self-promotion (ok, not really). Doing good work and telling the world about it is a natural reaction. It’s easier when others beat you to the punch. Jetson Green seems clued into the great work of the firm which I love (and in the spirit of full disclosure, am an Associate Landscape Architect at) – GreenWorks Landscape Architects, in Portland, Oregon

The latest reference is to a project near and dear to me, Independence Station in Independence Oregon. On track to be the world’s highest Platinum LEED rated building, we were fortunate enough to work with a great team and perhaps the most forward thinking developer on the planet, Steven Ribeirio (Aldeia Development) to develop sustainable landscape strategies for the building including significant rooftop gardens, living walls, and green roof coupled with PV panels. As Steven puts it: “Green is the new red, white, and blue.” I think that says it all.

:: images via Jetson Green

Last week Jetson Green offered a profile of another GreenWorks project, RiverEast Center in Portland, Oregon. I did not personally work on this project as it predated my work at the firm, but love the integrated design and detailing (that is not a shameless marketing ploy, as most designers will admit, they don’t love every project in the office, all the time). The innovation of the project is subtle but amazing, as you will read about in the following writings on the project.

:: Link to ArchitectureWeek article by Brian Libby
:: Link to Environmental Design and Construction article by Peter Alto

One amazing aspect is the first shared private-public green street for treating parking and street runoff. I’m not sure if anyone realizes the amount of effort and wrangling it took to make this a reality, but the entire team deserves a tip of the hat for everything included in the project – using the site to create amazing public open space connectivity to the Riverfront in the process.

:: images via GreenWorks

The project, house the offices of local firm Group Mackenzie (whom was the project architect), amongst other businesses (and waterfront related warehousing for rowing clubs and Alder Creek Kayak) and including site specific sculptures entitled ‘Portals’ by Linda Wysong.

:: image via Jetson Green


:: ‘Portals’ – image via Linda Wysong

OK. It’s odd to be featuring projects that were done by the firm I work for and/or am currently designing. I thank Jetson Green for profiling these two projects, and well… giving me the opportunity to forward them along. Plus, the editorial content here is chosen by a very biased source (me), and the goal is to feature all of the great landscape+urbanism out there. In this regard i will feature and credit any project, designer, firm that is out there pushing the boundaries.

I look at it this way. I could be a landscape architect looking at all the cool projects and writing about them, wishing I could be doing that. Or I can share was we learn, take the media and visuals and concepts – all the great work being done in the profession – and use it to apply to projects and thinking in the profession. It can shape and inform what we all work on, creating amazing spaces that are contributing and expanding the to the discussion of sustainability, landscape architecture, vegetation-builing integration, and green urbanism.

I say it’s better to be inside the building in this good company, than outside with my nose pressed to the glass. So projects to featured, send them along. Feedback and commments, always welcome.