Airport building pushes green limits

New headquarters to unite Port staff, expand PDX parking

By Jim Redden

Pamplin Media Group, May 14, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

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The most innovative feature is a Living Machine, a wastewater treatment and recycling system developed by Worrell Water Technologies of Charlottesville, Va. It cleans wastewater through a series of holding tanks, many of which replicate the ecological processes in natural tidal wetlands. The cells alternatively fill and drain, moving the water through specially treated rocks containing microorganisms and plants.

The process is so natural that 10 of the cells will appear to visitors as lush plant gardens. Six will be in the lobby at the first-floor entrance, and four will be just outside an adjoining wall. Based on the experiences at Living Machines installed in over a dozen other buildings around the world, it’s unlikely that visitors will ever suspect the cells are treating water from the building’s sinks, showers and toilets for reuse in toilets.

Having an open part of a wastewater treatment system in the building lobby might sound risky. But the manufacturer promises that visitors will not notice any offensive odors.

“The Living Machine is really a very diverse ecosystem that deals with this problem. No methane is released at this point (in the process),” says Will Kirksey, Worrell’s vice president of engineering.

Other green features planned for the building are: a 10,000-square-foot eco-roof; daylighting glass prisms for the office and garage areas; dual-flush toilets; and low-flow showers for employees who bike to work. Structures to accommodate future solar panels also are being built.

Port officials say these features will cut water consumption close to 80 percent compared to a conventional office — from 1.1 million gallons a year to a mere 250,000 gallons.

Heating and cooling costs for the office portion are projected at $186,000 a year, compared to $288,000 for a conventional building. For the enclosed areas of the garage, annual costs are projected at $24,000 a year, compared to $108,000 for a conventional garage.

Lighting costs will be reduced about 30 percent for the office and garage components, according to port officials.

The port decided to build a new headquarters to unite the 240 employees at its Old Town headquarters with the 238 employees in the airport terminal building. The project also will add 3,500 parking spaces to meet projected demand.

The building was designed by Zimmer Gunsul Frasca and is being built by Hoffman Construction. Architectural renderings show the garage portion will be partly enclosed by an arched wall of glass panels and ceramic tiles. The office portion also features large glass walls, allowing sweeping views of the Columbia River that runs along the northern border of the airport.

Total cost of the project is $241 million, including $10 million for sustainability features. The port offset part of the cost by selling its Old Town headquarters for $29 million to Washington Real Estate Holdings LLC.

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