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Portland State University this week will host two lectures on sustainable design as part of the School of Architecture‘s Sustainable Structures Symposium.

Stefan Behnisch, founding partner of Stuttgart, Germany-based Behnisch Architekten, will give a free lecture on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Room 212 of Shattuck Hall, on Southwest Broadway between College and Hall streets. Behnisch is known for an innovative approach to sustainable architecture, including designs of the Allston science complex at Harvard University and the John and Frances Angelos Law Center at the University of Baltimore.

Behnisch Architekten is partnering with SRG Partnership on the design of a 100,000-square-foot renovation and expansion of PSU’s School of Business Administration.

Behnisch’s lecture will kick off the Sustainable Structures Symposium, which takes place on Thursday and Friday. The event will explore the greater role that structures should have in the design, impact and operation of green buildings, said Corey Griffin, PSU assistant architecture professor and symposium chairman. Presentations will cover topics including life cycle analysis, innovative wood structures and sustainability education, he said.

Architect Michael Green and engineer Eric Karsh will give the symposium’s keynote lecture about high-rise wood-frame buildings on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Ecotrust‘s office, at 721 N.W Ninth Ave. Green and Karsh, both based in Vancouver, British Columbia, are authors of a pertinent case study.

“Michael and Eric are both strong advocates for using wood for taller buildings versus concrete and steel,” Griffin said.

Green and Karsh’s lecture is open to the public; tickets are free for students or $10 for others. They will be sold online only on the symposium website: .