Wildflowers and Veggies - Eco-Roof, Portland County Building

Portland, Oregon

click on photos to enlarge

Multnomah County Building Eco-Roof

According to the brief found online, the green roof on Portland's Multnomah County Building headquarters is expected to double the life of the roof.

Speaking from experience, 

I'd say the project achieved its stated goal:

To create a landmark demonstration ecoroof with amenities such as a stone terrace and educational signage.

I missed meeting with the county's sustainability manager, Kat West, when I stopped by to see the ecoroof, but Kat had messaged me about the picturesque quality of the plantings, 

covering 12,000 sq. ft.,

and she mentioned the roof's organic vegetable garden, 

which provides produce for donation.

Views of the roof's wildflowers and grasses can be enjoyed from buildings in the neighborhood.

For your own up-close look at the Multnomah Building's eco-roof 

at 501 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd. in Portland, take note:

Open to the public during regular business hours;

take the elevator to the 5th floor.

Link to Carlton Hart Architecture for an overview of the project:

http://www.chapc.com/project-detail.cfm?ProjectID=5#top

Links to Portland destinations and 'green scene:'

http://bayareatendrils.blogspot.com/2009/08/living-carpet-of-texture-color-eco-roof.html

http://bayareatendrils.blogspot.com/2009/07/noble-rot-whirlwind-tour-of-portlands.html

Living Carpet of Texture & Color: Eco-Roof, Portland Central Library

Multnomah County Library Eco-Roof

801 S.W. 10th Avenue

Portland, Oregon

Design Team:

Carleton Hart Architecture, PC

Macdonald Environmental Planning

Munro & Associates

KPFF Consulting Engineers

Eco-Roof

Multnomah County Central Library, Portland, Oregon

A high point of my Portland foray: Touring the Central Library's new Eco-Roof 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.

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.

A look at the photos reveals the roof's aesthetic element: A rich textural carpet knit of an abstract pattern that changes with the seasons.

The summer scene pictured: One of peachy pink tones melded with brick red & mahogany hues alongside pale blue-grey & shades of green, 

with yellow blooms and feathery inflorescences!

Information about tours of Portland's Central Library Eco-Roof :

http://www.multcolib.org/events/ecoroof.html

Click on links below for more about the Portland Area:

http://bayareatendrils.blogspot.com/2009/07/exquisite-rush-of-cascading-water-ira.html

http://bayareatendrils.blogspot.com/2009/07/art-in-garden-with-purpose.html

Noble Rot - Whirlwind Tour of Portland's Green Scene

Portland, Oregon

 is on top of the Green movement!

3000-square-foot roof top garden at Noble Rot Restaurant & Wine Bar

Above: Among the savory edibles growing in a corner of the garden are tomatoes & Tromboncino squash, a delicately flavored zucchini with no seeds in the body of the vegetable. 

I stayed a few nights at the Kimpton Groups' Hotel Monaco - 

Green Seal/Silver Tier certified. Eco-attributes include a basket to recycle glass & paper (just like at home), and complimentary bicycles, so Tom could enjoy his usual mode of transport. 

A pet-friendly establishment, to be sure!

Hotel Monaco is located in Portland's TriMet fareless zone. I took full advantage of the city's streetcars and MAX light rail, an incredibly tourist-friendly mode of getting around when you don't feel like walking. I traveled from downtown to the Pearl District for lunch, went back to visit the Portland Art Museum, and hopped on a streetcar once again to go out for dinner. 

The convenience of light rail allowed me to arrive fresh for a morning appointment at the Classical Chinese Garden, 

and return downtown for an afternoon tour of the eco-roof of the Multnomah County Central Library.

More on Portland's green roofs & living walls in the days ahead.

Look for a link to Hotel Monaco .. on the right:  Recommended Hotels & Inns

I began my roof top touring with the productive kitchen garden at Noble Rot, 

where Chef/Co-owner Leather Storrs allowed me to nibble my way through the aisles!

 The Noble Rot web site states: Ask for a tour... and I say, go for it!

Noble Rot moved to 1111 East Burnside this past February, where the restaurant occupies the 4th floor of an LEED platinum building with an underground aquifer for pure water.

The eco-roof factors into the rating.

The garden features 50 of these shallow kiddie pools, with 3 inches of soil and a layer of perlite on the bottom. 

Pictured below - a unique cloche.

A lushly painted canvas, H. foetidus,  adorns the restaurant's entryway.

Composting System

Raised planters in Noble Rot's chemical-free garden.

 Chef Leather grows peppers, horseradish, various basils,

as well as lettuces, herbs & flowers for his 'roof greens salad.'

Herbs & Mediterranean low-water plants grow in the eco-roof area.

Noble Rot's outdoor terrace is below this corner of the garden: a great view of downtown from  here!

Hydroponic tubes - nasturtiums & parsley among the plants cultivated here.

Shiso (Perilla)

I sampled stawberries, sweet tender cucumbers, a lemony form of cilantro, nasturtium bloom, and the delectable Tromboncino squash, 

which I will have to grow next summer at Tom's allotment garden!

Link to Noble Rot 

on Bay Area Tendrils 'Garden Travel Buzz'

- column on the right -

Link to Portland Features:

http://bayareatendrils.blogspot.com/2009/07/art-in-garden-with-purpose.html

http://bayareatendrils.blogspot.com/2009/07/exquisite-rush-of-cascading-water-ira.html

A Culinary Banquet ....Up on the Roof at the Fairmont

Photos, Courtesy of the Fairmont Waterfront 

The Fairmont Waterfront

      Rooftop Garden

   Vancouver, B.C.

In 2007, while researching Vancouver gardens for my San Francisco Chronicle 'Garden Walks' column, I checked into the Fairmont Waterfront for the final day of an enlightening journey.

I had enjoyed trekking through public & private gardens, plant nurseries & garden shops.

Still, my itinerary included one more mission:  To see first-hand the rooftop garden at the Fairmont Waterfront.

I'd been reading about it for some time. And so, to top off my visit to beautiful Vancouver, I indulged in the luxury of a spacious, contemporary room with great views, and my favorite touch, a marble bath. Blissful!

The garden had been installed about a decade prior to my visit, and the plantings refreshed in April, 2006. 

Fifteen cubic yards of compost later, the garden boasts box hedging to effectively define the layout of the planting beds. Espaliered apples and bay trees add beauty and structure to the design.

Organic gardening practices are employed in these productive gardens, where the Fairmont chefs harvest such delicacies as alpine strawberries, rose blossoms, lovage and calendulas, for the tasty fare at Herons.

One tip revealed on my tour of the garden: Orange pekoe tea with a little bit of soap added is used at times for aphid control.

Executive Chef Patrick Dore at the garden gates of the Fairmont Waterfront, 

where organic herbs & produce are harvested for Herons Restaurant & Lounge

Bird's Eye View