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A high-end condominium development with ground level commercial space, this project is designed to achieve LEED Gold recognition. Green features include ecoroofs, a community plaza, and 2nd floor terrace level garden courtyards.  Pervious pavers will allow for stormwater infiltration.  Architectural Renderings courtesy of The Myhre Group.

The absorption takes place via the plantings on the ecoroof. Plants absorb the pollutants through their leaves and eventually convert pollutants to nutrients. Plants can then reuse the nutrients as food. Both the density of coverage and the types of plants used can vary the amount of pollutant absorption hence the selection of species should be thoughtfully considered in efforts to maximize the absorption rate.

In a publication recently written by Portlands’ Bureau of Environmental Sciences, titled ‘Cost Benefit Evaluation Of Ecoroofs 2008‘, we find that .04 pounds per square foot of carbon particulates are consumed on average by ecoroof plantings. When applying this number to our 7,188 square foot Central City Library Ecoroof in Portland, Oregon, 288 pounds of carbon is consumed annually!

This statistic is certainly encouraging and with persistent promotion of ecoroofs world wide, we can, as a community, create a cleaner environment. The more square feet of ecoroof we create the easier we will all breathe! How much carbon can YOUR roof clean?

Daniel Edwards, ASLA, LEEP AP
Macdonald Environmental Planning, PC
(503) 224-1225

Daniel Edwards with Macdonald Environmental Planning, P.C., will be joining the team of professionals responsible for the design and installation of the new Multnomah County Central Library Ecoroof for a live interview to be televised on KPTV’s morning show tomorrow, January 13th.

The interview will be televised at various times throughout the morning: 5:53am, 6:23am, 6:53am, 7:53am, 8:23am, and 8:45am respectively. KPTV will be interviewing Allen Profit from Multnomah County, Kat West from the Bureau of Environmental Sciences, a Central City Library spokesperson, Mark Carpenter of Columbia Greenroof Technology who was the provider of the tray system installed, and Daniel Edwards of Macdonald Environmental Planning,P.C..

Viewers will be informed on tours that are available for the ecoroof, the effects that the ecoroof has on staff productivity, how the tray system installed contributes to energy savings, water retention and heat island effect reduction, and how this contributes to Portlands plan for making the city a more sustainable place to live.

Please join us tomorrow morning to learn more about our Multnomah County Central Library Ecoroof and it’s nurturing benefits for our environment.

Daniel Edwards
Senior Project Manager
Macdonald Environmental Planning

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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.