Portland Working Towards the First “Living Building”

From our CH2M HILL Portland Office, we can see the future site of the proposed Oregon Sustainability Center. I’ve been hearing snippets of the development process for the building, which requires realigning the Portland Street Car to pass through the building, similar to how it passes through the adjacent PSU Urban Center. According to the Portland Business Journal, it would be one of a kind: generating power and water needs on-site.

When I was a student at PSU, I liked how the streetcar passed through the active space of the Urban Plaza. It made it very easy to hop on and head to the library, the downtown core, or to transfer to the MAX light rail line. And I found the space interesting and appealing – on a sunny day it was a great place to eat lunch and relax with some people-watching. I’m looking forward to seeing how the Sustainability Center develops, and will follow the process from my window.