As architects and builders search for innovative materials to meet growing demands for owners’ sustainable projects, universities may provide a key connection.

After visiting ‘s showroom in Southeast Portland, two Oregon State University students were inspired to look more deeply into what they consider an up-and-coming sustainable material. Mike Pullen, owner of Bamboo Revolution, is donating materials to the research; he says the results could be a boon to his fast-growing business.

“A builder on the leading edge will want to adopt new materials and technology, but doesn’t have the resources or ability to test them him- or herself,” said Sean Penrith, executive director of . “The academic world and construction industry may be worlds apart, but it’s a symbiotic relationship that should happen more often.”

OSU students Skyler Mlasko and Danny Way are working with assistant professor Arijit Sinha to discern whether bamboo has more structural applications than typically considered in the U.S. market. , a student-managed grant program, is providing $3,000 for the effort.

“For smaller companies with limited resources, having the university lend a helping hand and put the time and hours into something we can’t – it’s obviously a huge benefit,” Pullen said.

Bamboo Revolution is already inspiring architects and contractors to prominently feature bamboo in their projects. Doors, floors, countertops and wall panels all are made from bamboo, and company sales are on a trajectory that reveals a growing market.

Sales increased 50 percent in 2008 and 30 percent in 2009, prompting Pullen in September 2009 to begin remodeling a 1927 auto parts store into its current showroom. Sales have continued to grow 30 percent each year, he said.

For the research, Bamboo Revolution’s bamboo first will be glued together to make larger glu-lam beams. Pullen and the researchers are hoping to work with Eugene-based Walsh Industries, a company that specializes in custom glu-lam beam manufacturing.

At OSU, the team will conduct a series of strength and destructibility tests on the bamboo glu-lam beams. Such data have not been published yet, according to the team.

“Bamboo could be competitive in the market because initial studies say that it has structural properties comparable with wood and conventional building materials,” Sinha said. “But there are no documents out there giving the actual values as a structural material, which will be needed for building codes to be adapted.”

Pullen recently started growing bamboo in Albany with the hope that he could eventually source all of his material locally. If bamboo could be used as a structural component, it would dramatically increase the value of his farm because he would be able to use more pieces of the grassy stalks.

A lot of the material can’t be used in furniture panels because of inherent aesthetic flaws. But Pullen pointed out that for structural use, all that matters is performance – not aesthetics.

In the future, Pullen hopes to see bamboo not only accepted in the building code, but also considered seismically safe.

“It’s a superior material because it doesn’t have a complete failure point, whereas fir will actually break completely at some point,” he said. “It would be fantastic if there was seismic activity because it has flexibility within the beam.”

While the six-month project will not lead to a revolution of that magnitude, the team says it is a vital first step in advancing bamboo research.

“(The structural tests) have been on my mind since starting the company,” Pullen said. “But instead of having to spend the money up front, the university is performing that, and I’m able to continue focusing on making sales to keep the company running in the present tense.”

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has found a unique way to increase inclusion of minority-owned, women-owned and emerging small business contractors. Officials simply wrote it into the contract.

“We did tell the contracting community when we were proposing this language and how we wrote the RFP … we told them we want our cake and (to) eat it too,” said Kathy Kiaunis, bond finance manager for PCC.

In 2008, voters approved a $374 million bond for renovation and development of PCC campuses. Because projects would be large and potentially complicated because of staging and on-site student management, Kiaunis said PCC wanted to use the construction manager/general contractor process.

But officials didn’t want only large contractors to benefit. So in addition to requiring that 20 percent of the CM/GC’s subs be MWESB contractors, they charged the building community to come up with some creative ideas.

“How do you guys increase the capacity of smaller general contractors to create opportunities so that at the end of the bond we have more folks who are in the community who are able to handle bigger projects and are able to grow their businesses?” Kiaunis said.

To that end, PCC recently hired a company called O’Neill/Walsh Community Builders for a $30 million project at its Southeast Portland campus. It’s a strategic partnership between – a large firm – and – an MWESB certified contractor. Those two companies have partnered with another MWESB firm, In Line Commercial Construction. Kiaunis expects the arrangement to open doors previously closed to smaller firms.

“Both of those firms should be able to, as a result of this work, increase their bonding capacity and be able to bid then on larger jobs themselves,” she said.

Don Geddes, vice president of Walsh Construction and partner in charge of the Southeast Center project, said the partnerships with O’Neill and Inline will add another layer of complexity to the job, but the challenges will remain the same.

“The biggest challenge, and is always our challenge, is communication,” Geddes said. “If you look at the industry we’re in, it’s all about building buildings. But the reality is it’s communication, because there are so many different pieces and so many different people.”

With three companies managing different parts of construction, Geddes said they will, for instance, make sure that solutions identified in one phase are shared so that problems are addressed effectively. Walsh also will have one managing superintendent to oversee O’Neill’s and In Line’s superintendents.

Geddes acknowledged that it’s a delicate situation.

“It’s a little scary, but the reality is we’re always going to have competition and if it’s not them it’s going to be someone else,” he said. “In order to have a community that we all want to live in, everyone has to have an opportunity to get part of the package.”

Maurice Rahming, owner of , said the idea for the partnership came about one day over coffee with Bob Walsh, owner of , as they discussed ways to create opportunities for small, disadvantaged firms. Rahming said he hopes the experience will give him the opportunity to see how big companies take care of business.

“We’re able to work with them and see from the ground up how a large, professional company like Walsh works and implements the contract,” he said. “It also highlights how the CM/GC process can produce inclusion. Without spending a million dollars for the disparity study, it has done what the disparity study would hope to achieve.”

Rahming referred to a $906,000 study that the city of Portland and the Portland Development Commission commissioned in 2009 to assess the disparity between availability and utilization of MWESB contractors.

One of the study’s findings was that revenues were less for certain disadvantaged groups than for others in the Portland area; that those same companies faced greater disadvantages in seeking capital financing and insurance; and that MWESB firms faced barriers in winning public-sector contracts.

For instance, the study found that for PDC-sponsored contracts, 3.2 percent of contract dollars went to minority-owned business enterprises out of a possible 4.8 percent. Additionally, 5.9 percent went to women-owned enterprises out of a possible 7.5 percent. The disparity was less significant for PDC-owned contracts.

While PCC’s big bond projects are just now ramping up, initial efforts to include MWESB firms on smaller projects has been successful.

According to PCC, 8.3 percent of the contract dollars for the $21.9 million Willow Creek job, managed by Skanska, went to MWESB contractors. For the $39 million Sylvania job, managed by , 22 percent of contract dollars have gone to MWESB contractors. And for the $5.98 million Newberg job, managed jointly by and – an MWESB firm – 25.2 percent of contract dollars went to MWESB contractors.

PCC also recently hired , in partnership with MWESB firms and , for a $38 million project at its Rock Creek campus.

Kiaunis said an RFP for a $39 million project at the college’s Cascade campus closes on Feb. 9 and that the mandatory pre-proposal meeting drew approximately half a dozen contractors.

Rahming said the fact that large contractors are inviting the little guys to the table is a big change for the industry.

“If you look at those projects (Newberg, Rock Creek and the Southeast Center) you’ll notice there is quite a bit of inclusion, whether awarded or proposing,” Rahming said. “The general contractors are making significant opportunities for minority and women firms … they drastically changed the landscape and drastically addressed the question.”

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When an office space is struggling for natural light, sometimes it’s best to leave out the eggshell-white drywall.

At least that’s what the crew at is planning for a 1,500-square-foot space it is designing for . Located on the ground floor of the Pearl District’s Maytag Building at Northwest Eleventh Avenue and Hoyt Street, the space will be the new office headquarters for the university’s master’s writing program.

With a long, narrow floor plan that constricts sunlight in the space, principal architect Richard Brown said the team will build the office walls with clear and translucent laminated glass partitions that glow when they absorb light.

“I think it’s going to take advantage of the minimum light that’s there and amplify it and push it back into the space,” he said.

Brown said the space will be used primarily as an administrative office for the university writing program, but it will also be set up to host gatherings and meetings. The space will also serve as the Portland office for the university’s president, Lesley Hallick.

He said one nod to the office’s creative intentions will be found in the ramp leading into the building, where they are considering sandwiching writing samples, photographs and pieces of art between two sheets of glass.

“(The university) was looking for a space that was more sophisticated, where board members would be comfortable, but also would reflect the artistic nature of the study that goes on,” Brown said.

The project is currently out to bid and Brown said he hopes to begin construction in February.

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Portland-based is getting ready to add another trophy to its mantle.

The company has won an Outstanding Sports Facility award from the for its design of Oregon State University’s McAlexander Field House recreation center.

With recreation centers becoming an increasingly important venue for university life, as well as important admissions recruitment tools, Michael Thrailkill, architect and project manager for YGH, said the $2.2 million renovation of the approximately 34,000-square-foot facility was simply necessary.

“You had a giant facility, one of the largest buildings right in the middle of campus, completely underutilized,” he said.

Built in 1911 as a barracks building, Thrailkill said the university had repurposed the historic building as a recreation center in the 1950s. Over the years though, the building fell to neglect and became an unmonitored and unsafe complex.

With a 10,000-squre-foot indoor turf field, two urethane-floored game courts, batting cages, classrooms, a 37-foot climbing wall and a 60-foot bouldering wall, approximately 600 students per day have been using the facility since it opened in February 2011.

The award is for one of nine projects that NIRSA will recognize at its national conference in Tampa, Fla., from March 27 to 30, and Thrailkill said it’s a valued distinction. The company has received the award for three other recreation centers in the Northwest, and he said that helped it land another project it is currently designing for the University of Hawaii.

“So it definitely is an important award to win, and it leads to further work,” Thrailkill said.

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Project update: Harrison Apartments

• The project team includes ZGF Architects, Samaritan Health Services and Project Ecological Development.
• The building is proposed to replace the former Corvallis General Hospital structure at 2750 N.W. Harrison Blvd.
• A Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold rating is being targeted.
• In late December, developer Tom Cody of Project Ecological Development asked the Corvallis Planning Commission to postpone deliberations planned for Jan. 4 so that the project team could revise its plans in order to address neighbors’ concerns. That request was granted, and the team submitted its revisions on Jan. 10, according to Bob Richardson, associate planner working with the city. Significant changes include: a decrease in the number of units from 91 to 90; an increase in the number of parking spaces from 179 to 197; and an addition of an 8,240-square-foot, rooftop courtyard.

Demolition work is under way on Northwest 29th Street in Corvallis, to make way for yet another new housing project targeting the growing population of Oregon State University students and employees.

E&M Constructors earlier this month started tearing down the World War II-era Wilson Woods Apartments. The owners are planning to build a 43-unit complex – the Tyler Street Townhomes – on the site, which is nearly three acres.

Enrollment at OSU has increased from approximately 19,300 in 2006 to 25,000 this academic year, according to university spokesperson Todd Simmons. Rental housing is needed desperately in the area, he said. Developers are jumping on the opportunity; in the area abutting the campus, four major student housing developments are in the works.

The only project under construction is 7th Street Station, an 82-unit complex with 308 bedrooms. The largest project, still in early planning stages, is the Grove at Witham Oaks – a 296-unit complex with 792 bedrooms. And the Harrison Apartments could become the first housing development in Corvallis to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating; the project team recently submitted changes to its initial plans in response to an onslaught of neighborhood complaints.

Some residents are concerned that their neighborhood is changing too quickly, and without sufficient foresight. But developers say the proximity of the four projects makes sense; the goal is to provide renters convenient access to the university.

“(Tyler Street Townhomes) is about as close as you can get to OSU without being on the campus itself,” said John Seaders of , a former OSU professor who is working with developer Krishna Rao on the project. “It’s a very good location for the purpose of this project.”

Meanwhile, residents of the College Hill and Chintimini neighborhoods have voiced a range of objections about each project, as well as to the OSU building boom as a whole.

“It’s not just one project near where we live, but a whole bunch literally all around us,” said Dave Eckert, a member of the College Hill Neighborhood Association. “Only students will ever live there – and I love living near students – but these projects destroy the diversity of a neighborhood that now includes students, families, seniors, and some people with more money and less money; these projects are just creating segregated student ghettos.”

In the case of the Tyler Street Townhomes, some residents objected to the destruction of the Wilson Woods complex because of its historic value. It was built in 1942 for military officers at Camp Adair, and then was moved to Northwest 29th Street between Polk and Tyler avenues.

“Corvallis does need to grow to respond to the need for student housing, and I’m willing to live across the street from it,” said Brandon Trelstad, whose home faces the site of the planned Tyler Street Townhomes. “But I’m less willing to see nice old buildings torn down. There’s a loss of history, architecture and World War II-era construction.”

Trelstad said he would have preferred that the Wilson Woods complex gain density rather than be demolished.

But the case for preserving the building for historic reasons did not impress Seaders, who was born in the Netherlands.

“In Europe, we don’t start worrying about buildings until they’re 500 years old,” he said. “Here, almost everything that lasts over 50 years people want to consider historic buildings.”

Salvagers have come to the site to reclaim old oak floors, interior doors and other pieces of interest, according to Ed Stanton, the on-site general superintendent for E&M Constructors.

Demolition is expected to wrap up at the end of January, but the city of Corvallis has not yet granted building permits for the Tyler Street Townhomes. The development team submitted its application in November, but city planners found a “substantial number of issues” that needed to be addressed, according to associate planner Jared Voice. Paperwork was resubmitted recently, and Voice expects permits to be issued or another round of comments to come out by Jan. 23.

The $7 million development is expected to be ready for tenants in September.

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Portland State University last week announced that its Science Research and Teaching Center achieved a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council.

A $46.5 million renovation of the 40-year-old building is expected to reduce energy use by up to 30 percent. The upgrades, which could save up to $300,000 per year, include efficient lighting and windows, as well as an energy-saving heat recovery system.

The project also included the installation of 175 low-flow laboratory fume hoods, which are used to protect students while they are handling hazardous materials.

Money for the project came from state bonds, federal grants and private foundations, including a $1.26 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration and $1.14 million from the National Science Foundation.

“It may be glamorous to build new stuff – everyone gets excited by that kind of thing – but in the world of sustainability, when you reuse something you meet even more goals,” said Mark Fujii, capital projects manager for facilities and planning at PSU. “We upgraded (the Science Research and Teaching Center) so it’s more modern, and we built infrastructure to stand in an earthquake and operate efficiently. We all feel good about the accomplishments on this project.”

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Approximately $100 million is being invested in a partnership between Oregon State University and the Iraqi government to bring hundreds of engineers to Corvallis and possibly send Oregon contractors to work on major jobs in the Middle East.

The partnership, which has been in the works for three years, includes a fast-track plan to build as many as 11 green building research labs throughout Iraq, according to Scott Ashford, interim dean of . The “Oregon Invest in Iraq” part of the program will focus on designing and constructing materials testing labs to green standards.

“We already know that several key engineering, architecture and construction companies will want to be a part of the team that does the work in Iraq,” said Catherine Mater, director of sustainability programs for OSU’s College of Engineering.

Mater spoke to the 91��Ƶ from Arbil, Iraq, after traveling throughout the country and meeting with the ministers of higher education and scientific research for both the bulk of Iraq and the northern Kurdistan region.

The Iraqi government committed to pay for approximately $44 million of the five-year partnership, OSU is planning to contribute $37.5 million, and the , started by Catherine Mater’s son in honor of his late father, will provide approximately $19 million, according to Ashford.

OSU has consulted with some firms in the Pacific Northwest to gain informal feedback about the planned lab construction, according to Ashford.

“The contractors that end up doing the work will potentially be building 11 laboratories, and we’ve learned that to be successful in working with the Iraqis and universities, what they really want is real partnerships with the construction firms on the ground in Iraq,” he said. “They want a close relationship with the firm working on the construction of these facilities.”

Lake Oswego-based , a civil engineering and sustainable design firm, is a likely partner – the firm is reopening an Iraqi office, according to CEO Nawzad Othman.

“It takes time to go through the embassy and state departments,” he said. “But we are pretty well set.”

Otak in 2004 operated offices in Baghdad and Arbil, but soon closed them because of safety concerns. Now security in the Middle East has improved, and Otak earlier this year was acquired by , which is aiding the firm’s global expansion. Otak also is taking steps to open an office in Shanghai, China, Othman said.

Othman, who was born in the Kurdistan region, said he supports the OSU-Iraqi partnership and hopes to be involved in the impending construction efforts in Iraq.

“In time we will participate in whichever way is appropriate,” Othman said. “There is the possibility that we can be of assistance with investors or skills – we’re available.”

The other focus will be to help Iraqis develop sustainable engineering curricula that they can then use to bolster their institutions, contribute to the planned green building labs, and generally aid in the region’s major reconstruction effort. Coursework will focus on sustainable engineering, agriculture and forestry, with access to , an shared-user facility.

The first delegation of Iraqi faculty, an elite group appointed by both Iraqi ministers, is expected to begin the process as soon as mid-January, according to Mater. At least 25 Iraqi institutions are committed to the program. Iraqi faculty will have the opportunity to participate in two-week teaching seminars or longer research fellowships, and faculty and students will be able to work on postgraduate research at OSU.

The university teams will begin organizing plans to build the Iraqi testing labs immediately, beginning with one in the Kurdistan region, one in the Baghdad area and one in Basra in southern Iraq.

“They will be established to harmonize the requirements for all ministry construction throughout Iraq,” Mater said. “It’s the first time there has been a consolidated effort to harmonize testing lab results and the building code requirements that contractors will have to comply with – it’s a really big deal here in Iraq.”

Ashford added that the team is considering some sort of modular construction that would enable the facilities to be manufactured in the U.S., and then shipped to Iraq and erected quickly.

Former Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed a similar agreement last year, but the understanding had to be reconfirmed after the Iraqi parliament confirmed a new higher education minister and a new Iraqi cabinet in December 2010.

“The U.S. has already made a tremendous investment in Iraq,” Ashford said. “This is an opportunity for us to help the Iraqis rebuild their infrastructure, transportation, clean water systems, waste treatment facilities. They’re in a very unique position. They’re starting basically from scratch right now, and they’re taking the opportunity to rebuild in a sustainable manner.”

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The University of Oregon is getting ready to come online with its co-generation system.

As part of a $110 million renovation of its Central Power Station, the university is installing a co-generation system that will allow for simultaneous power generation and steam production from the same fuel energy input, minimizing energy waste and improving power delivery.

“We’re really going to amazingly reduce our carbon footprint,” said Randy Collins, utilities operations supervisor for the university. “The way we’re building this plant, we’re going to be getting so much more out of every bit of energy we bring in…and we’re going to be far more self-reliant.”

The co-generation system includes a boiler, a steam turbine generator, combustion air units, a reverse osmosis system, make-up water tanks, air handling units and electrical distribution gear, including a unit substation.

The university selected to provide commissioning and operator training services for the second phase Central Power Station renovation and is considering sending all operators and supervisors for an additional week-long training at the facility where the new gas turbine is being manufactured.

The system’s first firing is expected in April or May, according to Collins.

, a sub-consultant on the project, will provide the staff with integrated systems training, including specialized knowledge and training to operate the plant as a whole. is the renovation’s overall construction manager and general contractor.

Once the project is complete, the plant will be capable of generating enough power to meet approximately three quarters of the campus demand, as well as allow critical research lab buildings to continue operating during extended utility power outages.

Collins expects the project to reduce outages from 10 to 12 occurrences per year to one or two – and even those will be planned.

“If we see our entire campus go dark (after the renovation), it’s probably because entire state of Oregon is in the dark,” he said.

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The bond-funded projects at Portland Community College‘s Sylvania campus will eventually include new storage buildings, a new child development center, and 160,000 square feet of renovations spread among most existing buildings. Money for the work is coming from a 2008 bond that provided $374 million for construction at seven of the college’s campuses.

However, at Sylvania, where $52 million will be spent, project manager Gary Sutton said less than 10 percent of work is completed. The team is aiming, tentatively, to finish work in 2015. But first a feasible schedule must be developed for work at a crowded campus full of diverse interests.

The bond’s public involvement program manager, Gina Whitehill-Baziuk, is pushing hard to encourage all affected parties – people who teach, work or learn at the campus – to participate in planning.

“There is a strong commitment to shareholder engagement this time,” said Whitehill-Baziuk, who added that “thorough” conversations would take place.

For the construction team, that means a lot of waiting.

“Frankly I didn’t foresee so much involvement with outside stakeholders,” Sutton said.

He said that stakeholder involvement has been the largest challenge in getting work off the ground. Construction can’t move ahead until stakeholders determine where offices should be located and what they should include.

Even then, the team can’t plan for construction without a schedule, which presents its own challenges when most of the work is renovations. So the project team is looking for “swing space” – some extra, unused space where classes or offices can be relocated during construction. The college doesn’t want to reduce the number of classes during the renovation process, said Linda Gerber, president of PCC’s Sylvania campus.

The campus doesn’t have a lot of space, however, and it’s becoming even more crowded. Since the bond was passed in 2008, the student body at Sylvania has increased by 27 percent – an unanticipated jump, Gerber said. The student body already is the size that officials had expected it to reach when bond work wrapped up.

“We thought we were fully subscribed (in 2008). Now there are students in every cranny (of the campus),” Gerber said. “We know that we’re going to need to create swing space. We’re working to determine where.”

One option would be to complete the 10,000-square-foot child development center early on, so it could be used as temporary space while renovations take place elsewhere. However, an extensive visioning and involvement process could hold up construction, Sutton said.

Other options for swing space include temporary portable classrooms, or a planned new storage facility serving as classroom space temporarily.

For now, the team is trying to be “opportunistic” with the projects that can move forward, Sutton said. That means moving in to renovate a space when there is a break in classes or a lull in activity. This past summer, for example, when fewer students were on campus, contractor Howard S. Wright renovated a floor of the campus’ social sciences building.

Other completed projects include replacement of an inefficient boiler and a dehumidification effort at the campus’ pool. A road connection on “G Street” completed a ring around campus, and some renovations are moving at a “slow” pace, GBD Architects principal Kyle Andersen said.

“It takes some inertia to get going,” he said. “Once it starts, it will be steady.”

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The upcoming College Station building (read an in-depth story here) will add 978 beds to Portland State’s on-campus population. It also means there will be three dorms in as many blocks.

The nearby  and buildings each house about 600 students, with a total of 10 floors between them dedicated to the First Year Experience program for freshmen. The program, which will likely expand into College Station, is tailored for recent high school grads who benefit from the supervision of resident assistants.

The program includes ordinances regarding alcohol use, and on-campus options are very limited after 10 p.m. for under-21 student-residents (and most FYE students aren’t yet legally allowed in nearby spots such as the or ). Bars aside, most businesses on and near campus close at 10 p.m., though exceptions include the , Pita Pit, and 7-Eleven. And bowling, pool, projection-screen video games, pitas and Slurpee runs get old quickly.

Now, in a perfect world, the young students are bedded down or studying at 10 p.m. But this being the real world, those whippersnappers are still wide awake, procrastinating and wanting anything to do beyond hanging out with their roommate or surfing the web.

This means plenty of opportunity for developers and business owners in that Bermuda Triangle of under-21 dorm dwellers. Retail space on the street floor of the Broadway was quickly filled up with a sushi restaurant, a coffee shop, a video game store, even an eyeglasses store…but those are hardly late-hour hot spots.

The area ain’t cheap, but consider the business model employs: the sushi is decent-to-awful quality, the customer service is average at best, and the prices are higher than the tastier options at a quarter mile away. However, Takahashi is a quarter mile away, and there’s no MAX nor Portland Streetcar headed right to it. This means walking, and since we’re being honest about college freshmen, let’s concede that they’re a lazy bunch. Blue Fin has the competitive advantage, and thus has been steadily drawing business since opening day.

Following that model, now is the time for an actual theater (Fifth Avenue Cinema hardly counts with its throwback screenings), bowling alley, late-night restaurant, hookah bar, arcade, pool hall, or similar destination to get into the area and stay open through the wee hours. What’s more, the MAX Green Line ends right next to those three dorms, so consumer traffic will be pretty consistent during the day.

As this one-time FYE resident can tell you, the area is prime for some late-night options. Playing video games and sneaking beer past the RA gets old quick, and those kids would be better off with a late-night haven for their leftover cash once loans have paid for tuition, room and board, and secondhand books.

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