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2011 was a busy year for sustainable construction, with plenty of momentum being carried into next year. A key project includes the construction of the ‘s renewable structure, a future centerpiece to Portland State University’s ever-expanding hub of green activity.

The OSC building underwent a design feasibility study in 2008, with construction expected to break ground in the third quarter of 2012. The target completion date for this structure is the end of 2013, with the 130,000-square-foot building’s costs cited at just over $60 million.

The building gets attention for its proposed triple-net-zero functionality. Urban design students aside, that fancy phrase means it will produce heat and energy for itself while not using external water sources or generating waste.

This lofty idea was scaled back from more than $100 million in scope to its current form, which will receive some state funding and rely on tenants paying high rent to recoup its costs, in addition to being marketed as having much lower long-term costs than a non-sustainable counterpart. It’s very forward thinking and certainly raises the already high green profile of Portland and PSU…assuming that it gets finished on time and on budget. Expect plenty of updates through 2012 on this beacon of building efficiency—not to mention even more construction on the eastern fringe of the PSU campus, where the , and forthcoming College Station housing building have spelled nearly five years of ongoing construction along that corridor.

Another project of note is the soon-to-be-completed Norm Apartments in Northwest, featuring a dozen units and several eco-friendly aspects as part of the property portfolio of WDC Properties. Construction is expected to wrap up at the end of this year, and the building is up for sale in Portland’s competitive multi-family housing market that boasts just a as of November 2011.

The in Southwest Portland earned awards for its timber frame and the thermal efficiency of the project. McMinnville-based seeks to build on its success as the project’s contributor of reclaimed wood. As of December 2011, it has restored over 20 million board feet of lumber that would otherwise have been junked.

Rendering courtesy of SERA Architects