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The Oregon Sustainability Center today received a $250,000 grant to establish public spaces within the development.

awarded the grant to the Oregon University System for its project to construct a Living Building office tower housing green building research facilities and sustainably-minded businesses and nonprofits.

The funds will be used to establish an action center on the sustainability center’s ground floor that provides information on sustainable land use and transportation planning activities.  In addition, a conference center on the building’s second floor will be available for trainings, meetings and other activities.

“Given the multi-stakeholder effort of this project to bring nonprofits, educators and businesses under one roof, the hope is that new alliances and collaborations will evolve,” said Andrea Durbin, executive director of the Oregon Environmental Council, who will be a tenant in the center. “To do that, you need places to meet. This building is a learning experience for people to more broadly understand what sustainable practices are all about.”

Currently under schematic design by project team Gerding Edlen, SERA Architects, GBD Architects and Skanska USA, a public meeting will be held on Jan. 18, 2011 to present two potential designs for the project, Durbin said. The meeting will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Portland State University Smith Memorial Student Union Ballroom, third floor, room 355 at 1825 S.W. Broadway, in Portland.