91视频

A curving north facade evokes a ship鈥檚 prow or a plane鈥檚 wing, while the lapped-glass curtain wall is a visible nod to construction of early ships and boats. The design of the new Port of Portland headquarters not only honors both the marine and aviation industries, it also emphasizes a corporate commitment to sustainability. See all the winners TopProjects 2011

When the port made the decision in 2008 to sell its 160,000-square-foot headquarters building in downtown Portland and relocate to the Portland International Airport, it was seeking more than a new location. The port desired a more collaborative office environment in a sustainable building, said Martha Richmond, corporate marketing and media relations manager for the port.

The new headquarters building, at 7200 N.E. Airport Way, met those goals, and perhaps exceeded them, she said.

The building features three floors of office space atop seven floors of public airport parking, though that plan required months of consideration. Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects originally presented three different schemes, said Doug Sams, ZGF project manager for the headquarters building.

After reviewing designs for a parking garage only, a parking garage with office space on top, and both freestanding, the port chose the combined option as a way to most efficiently use available space. The 10-story building also offers views from the Portland West Hills to the Cascade Mountains.

Hoffman Construction Co. completed the $241 million, 205,000-square-foot, three-year project in April 2010. HNTB Corp., PAE Consulting Engineers Inc. and KPFF Consulting Engineers contributed to project engineering.

鈥淭his was a big step for the port, and they didn鈥檛 want a corporate feel,鈥� Sams said. To satisfy port staff input, the ZGF design team came up with an industrial aesthetic with exposed structure, piping and wiring.

Another initial factor was consolidation and the idea that everyone would be able to see and talk and interact with one other to make decisions more quickly and more efficiently, Sams said.

The new offices let the port consolidate its workforce and shift to an open office environment with few enclosed office spaces to reflect its desired 鈥淥ne Port鈥� culture. Open atriums provide visual connections between the floors, and the interior floor plan produces narrow office floors so that every employee has access to natural daylight.

The building has received 1,500 visitors in the past year, but it is appreciated most by those who work in it every day.

鈥淓mployees here think it鈥檚 a wonderful environment,鈥� Richmond said. 鈥淭he collaborative work areas sprinkled throughout the three floors are great spaces to gather for meetings,鈥� she said, explaining that staff from various areas can assemble for a brown bag lunch in the stadium-seated atrium.

But it is the Port of Portland鈥檚 commitment to sustainable practices that is best showcased by the new building and has been most recognized locally, nationally and internationally. The building is in final review for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design platinum certification, and was listed as one of the world鈥檚 10 most high-tech green buildings by Forbes.com.

Heating and cooling are derived from 200 closed-loop, ground-source geothermal wells drilled 300 feet deep, while radiant ceiling panels and zoned temperature controls account for heat gain that varies with the sun鈥檚 position. Solar-controlled monitors automatically adjust interior horizontal blinds and dim overhead lights.

Perhaps the most innovative environmental feature of the building, and the element that has garnered the most attention, is the living machine system. What appears as a series of decorative planter boxes in the lobby is actually an on-site ecological wastewater treatment approach by Worrell Water Technologies. The system produces quality recycled water out of both gray and black water to be reused for toilet flushing and in the HVAC cooling towers, and can treat up to 5,000 gallons of the building鈥檚 wastewater per day.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been performing really well,鈥� Richmond said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e improved our recycling rate to 76 percent, and it鈥檚 amazing that there is no active use of fossil fuels to maintain indoor air temperature,鈥� Richmond said.

鈥淩eally, what I鈥檓 most proud about is that it鈥檚 a design that looked at everything,鈥� Sams said. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 just focus on energy (and) we didn鈥檛 just focus on water. It鈥檚 a holistic design for the port.鈥�