Green Roofs Thrive in Eco-Friendly Portland

Multnomah County Building Green Roof (Alice Joyce photo)

Multnomah County Green Roof (Alice Joyce photo)

Portland, Oregon is on top of the Green Scene. Visitors to ‘PDX’  (that’s how most Portlanders refer to their city) discover wildflowers and organic veggies cultivated on the Multnomah County Building: Covering 12,000 square feet, this landmark demonstration eco-roof features amenities such as a stone terrace and educational signage, while the produce grown here is donated.

Multnomah County Roof Garden/Stone Bench (Alice Joyce)

Roof Garden Detail (Alice Joyce)

Enjoy your own up-close look at the Multnomah Building’s eco-roof at 501 S.E. Hawthorne Boulevard in Portland: Open to the public during regular business hours – take the elevator to the 5th floor.

For an overview of the project, link to Carlton Hart Architecture.

Portland Central Library Eco-Roof (ALICE JOYCE photo)

Portland’s Central Library, the Multnomah County Library Eco-Roof is located downtown at 801 S.W. 10th Avenue. A high point of my Portland foray was touring the garden with John Cabrera, Facilities Supervisor.

Completed in September, 2008, the structure utilizes 24″ x 24″ pallets, which added to the ease of installation. The 4″ deep soil blends organic and inorganic materials, mixed with Zebra, a water-retentive product made from natural cornstarch.

Portland Library Roof Detail

The benefits of the roof are numerous. Plantings help to capture the majority of stormwater runoff, cut down on the cost of electricity for heating and cooling, and absorb UV rays.

The roof features some 17,000 plants; drought-tolerant sedums and grasses that create a wildlife habitat, and reduce air pollution. An eco-roof is believed to filter the air, actually removing airborne particles, as it absorbs carbon dioxide. The roof’s aesthetic allure comprises a rich textural carpet knit of an abstract pattern that changes with the seasons. The summer scene pictured features peachy pink tones melded with brick red & mahogany hues alongside pale blue-grey & shades of green, with yellow blooms and feathery inflorescences!

Central Library Eco-Roof (Alice Joyce)

Click for information on touring:  Portland’s Central Library Eco-Roof

Portlanders know how to enjoy life!

PDX is not only a most hospitable city, it’s a haven for foodies, wine lovers, and beer connoisseurs. Open 7 nights a week, Noble Rot is a popular wine bar with its own rooftop Culinary garden. The restaurant on East Burnside occupies the 4th floor of an LEED platinum building with an underground aquifer for pure water; the eco-roof factors into the rating.

The 3000-square-foot  kitchen garden is presided over by Chef Leather Storrs. The Chef allowed me to nibble my way through the aisles, and explore the various planting methods, including 50 shallow kiddie pools, with 3 inches of soil and a layer of perlite on the bottom. Chef Leather grows peppers, horseradish, various basils, as well as lettuces, herbs & flowers for his ‘roof greens salad.’ I sampled strawberries, sweet tender cucumbers, a lemony form of cilantro, nasturtium bloom, and the delectable Tromboncino squash.

Noble Rot roof garden (Alice Joyce photo)

It’s a chemical free garden, with a system for composting, and raised planters. Patrons enjoy a great view of the downtown skyline from Noble Rot’s outdoor terrace, situated below the corner of the garden where the eco-roof is planted with herbs and Mediterranean low-water species.

Noble Rot kiddie pool planters (Alice Joyce)

Noble Rot Wine Bar Roof Garden (Alice Joyce)

Noble Rot - View PDX skyline (Alice Joyce photo)

April 27th, 2010 | Tags: , , | Category: Culinary Gardens, Foodie Havens, Green Roofs/Vertical Gardens, Portland | 4 comments - (Comments are closed)

Garden of Awakening Orchids .. Portland Chinese Garden

Portland’s Classical Chinese Garden is a setting of ineffable poetry. Enchantingly named, Lan Su Yuan .. The Garden of  Awakening Orchids, the garden reveals the fundamental elements of classical design: Stone gives way to water elements, while the buildings, bridges, and mosaic paving are softened by dense flora.

Chinese Garden detail (Alice Joyce photo)

Undulating rooflines crown open halls & intimate pavilions. And with every step, lush plantings mark the shifting seasons. The harmony and contrast of these elements imparts energy, qi, within the garden’s walls.

An authentically built classical scholar’s garden of the Ming Dynasty, the Portland Chinese Garden finds inspiration in the classical urban gardens of Suzhou: China’s garden city and Portland’s sister-city in China.

Chinese Garden Peaked Roofs (Alice Joyce photo)

Expert artisans from Suzhou traveled to Portland to assemble the garden’s prefabricated structures, and to create decorative stonework, which boasts an incredible attention to detail. Stout stone lions stand sentry at the garden’s main portal, where visitors pass through an inscribed gate framing the entryway.

A complementary grouping, Three Friends of Winter is comprised of a pine, graceful bamboo and plum tree that traditionally appear in Chinese art.

Chinese Garden Lion Sentry (Alice Joyce photo)


Belamcanda chinensis (Alice Joyce photo)

Hibiscus syriacus 'Aphrodite' (Alice Joyce photo)

Lake Tai rocks hold prominent places within the garden. As you proceed to discover the setting’s full beauty, the symbolic nature of such distinctive rocks is revealed as integral to the philosophical character – the yin and yang - of an idealized setting.

A glassy lake harmoniously links each aspect of the landscape. Wandering through the garden, you’ll come upon terraces and foot bridges poised to look out over a pond adorned with water lilies. Elsewhere, a rockery and waterfall create a commanding tableau. Spacious pavilions with tile roofs, covered bridges, craggy limestone rocks representing cloud configurations, and mesmerizing mosaics are among the Chinese Garden’s compelling aesthetic features. Around every turn, a unique view emerges; while gazing out from the Knowing the Fish Pavilion or from the shelter of the Moon Locking Pavilion … you’ll perceive vistas designed to appear distant: the Clouds Bridge and Tower of Cosmic Reflections.

Cycad (Alice Joyce photo)

Lake Tai Rock- Portland Chinese Garden (Alice Joyce photo)

Portland Classical Chinese Garden (Alice Joyce photo)

Chinese Garden Covered Bridge (Alice Joyce photo)

Intimate vignettes catch the eye. Plum blossom on cracked ice - a mosaic stone pattern emerges underfoot. An illustrious carved panel draws you in at eye level. Plants sourced in the Pacific Northwest encompass species indigenous to China, all sited to artfully accompany the architecture. Edgeworthia, chrysanthemums, magnolias, arising as alluring accents surrounding the Hall of Brocade Clouds.

Chinese Garden Rockery Waterfall (Alice Joyce photo)

In the courtyard outside the Scholar’s Study – the Celestial Hall of Permeating Fragrance – the perfume of gardenias and wintersweet lingers on the air.

To visit the garden is to experience a retreat from the sounds of the surrounding urban neighborhood, in a reflective atmosphere of enthralling sensory and seasonal pleasures year-round. Portland Chinese Garden

Chinese garden decorative window detail (Alice Joyce photo)

April 21st, 2010 | Tags: , | Category: Chinese Gardens, Portland | 4 comments - (Comments are closed)

Resources & Links