I'm not a tree hugger, but this is cool!

http://gizmodo.com/5460908/portland-government-plans-200 ft-tall-energy saving-plant-wall

 

It sure is butt-ugly. And expensive. I wonder it it will attract insects?

 

I would assume this would help create lots of local jobs...

 

Another few dozen jobs created by bailout money!

 

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, that was naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasty!!!

 

I AM a tree-hugger but that is butt-ugly's uglier sister and in a city with the views Portland has it's retarded to block out all those windows.

 

I'ma be the first person to pee on that thing.

 

I think it's suppose to be a plant that loses it's leaves in the winter.

 

I'd like to see them try to mow that...

 

http://sportstwo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146067&page=3

 

I'm still going with the assumption that is a horrible joke and it will not look like that...I hope.

 

Nope. My boss saw it in the NY Times.

Wait. Let's seeeeeeeeeeeeee, the NY Times..............hmmmmmmmmmm............... Yes, yes, it still could be a joke.

 

I like stuff that's environmentally friendly unless it's waaayyyy off the deep end... and that totally qualifies as stupid...

 

It's not going to look as bad as the renderings. These are just preliminary renderings.

For example, compare the preliminary renderings here to the final rendering:





The design will be refined like the 1st and Main building.

 

OK, I like the CONCEPT and the idea of using natural vegetation to reduce energy costs, but that artist's rendering is butt ugly. It looks like the world's biggest, ugliest set of vertical blinds. At least plant some flowers in the mix to give it a little color.

I also wonder about the cost effectiveness. The article mentions the energy cost savings of $280,000 a year. That's great until you read the next sentence and learn this is a $133 million (as in $133,000,000) project. I assume that's the total cost of the building and not just the "Green Monster" and that it won't actually take 475 years to recover the cost of building it. Has anyone seen any numbers on the cost adder just for the wall of vegetation and the solar panels?

I like that someone is thinking creatively, but the idea definitely needs some further refinement.

BNM

 

For the record, I think the PSU block Net-Zero building >>>>>>>>>>>>>> this one.

 

Where is this project going to be built? The article just refers to it as Portland's federal building. Anyone know who the architects are? The Hatfield Federal Courthouse is an absolutely beautiful building inside and out. Hopefully, they can pull this off and Portland ends up with another government building we can be proud of and people won't end up just calling it the Chia Building (as per one of the article comments).

BNM

 

Right beside the new First and Main building. It's a pretty noticeable building in the skyline.

 

I can imagine there will be plenty of bird nests in that thing along with the usual amount of avian excrement. Also, it's not great for a curtainwall to constantly be moist.

Great idea.