Great event by Portland CSI at ZGF's Office

This month's Portland CSI chapter meeting was a Project Tour of the new Twelve West building. We had a chance to meet the architects responsible for the design, representatives of Hoffman Construction and key subcontractors. It was fascinating to learn about everything from the siting (choosing the less traveled side of Burnside), to the distinctive entry staircase to the carefully chosen materials. It is a thoughtful and well executed project, designed for long-term sustainability.

The tour concluded with a presentation by John Breashears and Craig Briscoe of ZGF on the wind turbines atop the Twelve West building. With no precedent for wind turbines on a tall building in an urban environment, the ZGF project team had to forge their own path - learning about turbine technology, wind patterns, construction techniques...you name it. The result is a set of four wind turbines that will produce enough electricity to power five of the building's residential apartments. What is almost more important than the resulting power generation, is the fact that turbines are there and will be tracked over time - a reference point and baseline for future projects.

Compliments to Portland CSI, ZGF and all the tour speakers for a well done event.

Chapter Meeting
Project Tour: Zimmer, Gunsul, Frasca, Architects, LLP Office at Twelve West
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Twelve West Building 1223 SW Washington StreetPortland, OR 97205

Rising 23 stories above Portland, Oregon’s evolving West End neighborhood, TwelveWest is a mixed-use building designed to meet two LEED Platinum Certifications and serve as a laboratory for integrated sustainable design. It features street level retail space, four floors of office space for ZGF Architects LLP, 17 floors of “eco-chic,” homes for lease and five levels of below grade parking. The building has an eco-roof, rooftop garden and terrace space, complete fitness studio and a theatre. Four visible wind turbines sit high atop the building representing the first U.S. installation of small-scale wind turbines in an urban, high-rise. TwelveWest serves as not only an anchor in a rapidly transforming urban neighborhood, but also as a demonstration project to inform future sustainable building design.