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Humboldt Gardens was a Hope VI, affordable housing project for the Housing Authority of Portland, which included a mixed use building that achieved LEED Silver certification from the USGBC.

As Landscape Architect we collaborated with the Civil Engineer to develop an award winning approach to a Green Street treatment for stormwater.  The plantings for the Green Street used water tolerant plants and swale seed mix in the swales  with more residential plant selections by the walkways leading into the units. The combination of the lawn and swale grass  panels as they move through the front yard and shrub beds allows easy maintenance by mowing both.

The project’s sustainable design elements including permeable paving, soft stormwater swales, a green street, a community pocket park and garden seating courtyards.  The landscaping approach throughout the project was child tough, low maintenance and complementary to a residential neighborhood.

Humboldt Gardens was recognized by the 2009 City of Portland BEST Awards as the winner of the Green Building for New construction/Major renovation.

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Mountain View Hospital undertook a new addition and remodel of the existing building and acute care unit in Madras, Oregon.  Our approach was to update the appearance of the grounds to reflect the Central Oregon landscape in a sustainable way.  Our careful selection of native, cold and drought tolerant plants, local broken top stone  and river rock helped to mimic the surrounding landscape.  Rooftop runoff was dropped into a naturalized creek bed which flowed into dry wells.

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Macdonald Environmental Planning was sought after by developer Steven Ribiero, to find the most flawless and sustainable greenwall system on the market, and to develop initial concepts for the greenwall. The system chosen was Green Living Technologies greenwall system and it’s parameters were researched prior to conceptualizing, aiding in creating realistic renderings for the greenwall.

Macdonald Environmental Planning initiated the conceptual thought process by developing four very different concepts for the greenwall. These concepts were used as a catalyst for the project team to move the project forward and are being used to raise outside funds to pay for the greenwall. The greenwall is scheduled to be installed in a 4 story open atrium lobby and will clad the exterior of the elevator shaft from floor to ceiling.

This LEED Platinum prospective building, otherwise coined “The Worlds Greenest Building, is expected to achieve 64-66 LEED points which would make it the most sustainable building in the country by LEED standards.

To find out more about this project visit the Independence Station website.

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A mix of sedums, fescues, wildflowers, perennials and ornamental grasses resemble an open meadow atop the Multnomah County Building. The green roof, winner of a People’s Choice Award, is highlighted by a public viewing area with interpretation boards describing the design, construction process and environmental benefits.  This green roof was the first public building to receive a green roof in Portland.

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The Borealis Apartments includes an array of sustainable features as well as a “green screen” on the building facade. The living green screen provides shade, screens rain and minimizes the wind on the building.  Moreover, it provides health benefits for residents by filtering air from nearby automobile traffic. Water efficient irrigation was another sustainable aspect of the project.  The drip irrigation is scheduled to minimize water used and has an automatic fertilization component to supplement the planters throughout the growing season.

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Macdonald Environmental Planning was engaged on this University District campus to design the pubic courtyards for patients, staff and family members to enjoy.  The courtyards were planned to promote access to natural plantings, water features and gathering areas for healing purposes.  Three water features were designed to make the gardens tranquil and meditative in order to increase mental outlook during recovery time.  Sustainable features were used as well with the addition of living greenwalls and a rain fed spillway was incorporated for viewing from the public cafeteria.  Also, a Behaviorial Health garden was developed for the safe and guided access for patients having difficulties with mental stability issues.

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To top off the well-known Michael Graves building icon in downtown Portland, we designed a green roof that includes the main and penthouse rooftops.  The green roof is a symbol of Portland’s commitment to sustainable development.  Stormwater runoff will be monitored by The Bureau of Environmental Services for the City of Portland.

This 18,000 square foot green roof is a mixture of a wide variety of sedums and rows of fescue.

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Portland’s historic downtown library is now a “green building”.  We began by conducting a feasibility evaluation on tray and unit type green roof construction products.  Our final design for the green roof included a 3-inch thick tray system with built-in irrigation.  The plant palette included a variety of extremely drought tolerant sedums.

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