Located in Portland, Oregon, the Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Support Facility will provide offices for the Bureau of Environmental Services engineering and construction management staff. Designed by Skylab Architecture with the intent of fostering collaboration, the new 11,490 square-foot building will blend open office and shared workspaces with small meeting spaces and large conference rooms, video conference areas, and a training facility. The building is designed to be certified at the LEED Gold level, a result in part due to the City of Portland’s Green Building Policy. More images and architects’ description after the break.
Oriented radially along the path of the sun, the building will feature a rooftop that folds up and down. As the seven separate folds of the roof tilt, in sawtooth rhythm clerestory windows fill the void created by the upward fold, responding to the movement of natural light and airflow. The downward fold drains the landscaped roof runoff into a berm, on the south facade, and bioswales, returning the stormwater to the Columbia Slough. The folded roof, combined with a north-oriented, louvered, and operable glass facade, will allow daylight and natural ventilation to fill the interior during working hours and make possible night flush cooling. The building’s hydronic system will connect to the plant water flow, efficiently heating and cooling.
The entrance to the plant will be modified to provide a native and adaptive environment, and to create a public space in front of the building with views to an existing pond. A new landscaped commons area will be accessible to the plant staff as well as for educational tours to the public of plant operations. A circular open space in the center will feature landscaping and interpretive features demonstrating water treatment strategies.
