Page 35 - Green Builder May-June 2017 Issue

CREDIT: JULIET GRABLE

Water feature. The tidal wetland and wood chip wetland cells enhance the public spaces between the buildings.
“Additionally, since we are using reclaimed water on site, we are engineering for the system.
saving 50 percent on our potable water bill,” says Andersen. These A 60,000-gallon rainwater cistern collects runoff from one of the
savings, combined with the discounted SDCs, have helped the system green roofs and delivers it to the water feature, which consists of a
see a payback of less than three years, despite the extra expenses of series of vegetated reservoirs flanking the pedestrian corridor. The
metering, ongoing testing and monitoring and hiring of an operator. southern portion of the corridor is lined with stormwater basins
and reservoirs divided by a series of check dams. Bridges span the
SOAKING IT IN reservoirs, which create a threshold between public and private areas.
Stormwater treatment is also integrated into the landscaping. Over The water circulates continuously, and the feature does not use any
38,000 square feet of green roofs on two of the buildings—the potable water from the city. Stormwater planters treat water from
six-story Velomor and 21-story Aster Tower—double as amenities, the other roof surfaces and sidewalks.
enhancing the rooftop terraces.
Place Studio, a Portland landscape architecture firm, designed PLACE MAKING
the rainwater system, which Andersen describes as “an onsite Each of Hassalo on Eighth’s three buildings is LEED Platinum
water feature that utilizes treated rainwater.” Biohabitats provided certified, and GBD Architects is pursuing LEED for Neighborhood
Development certification as well. American Assets, a San Diego-based
real estate investment trust (REIT), owns the 15-acre development.
The project has breathed new life into a neighborhood that, well,
The Buildings of wasn’t really alive.
“At 5 p.m., it was dead. There was no night life,” says Muñoz. “Now
it is a much more well-rounded neighborhood.”
Thousands of new residents, along with restaurants, a grocery store
Hassalo on Eighth and a fitness center, are helping to transform this “non-place” into a
vibrant community. The area is also an official Ecodistrict, modeling
resource efficiency, livability and equity, in part by implementing
Velomor appropriately scaled solutions.
■ Six stories
■ “We took advantage of this opportunity to design a community
■ 177 studio, 1BR and 2BR apartments
■ with buildings that work together,” says Andersen. “With Hassalo
■ Green roof and “eco-terrace”
■ on Eighth, we have something tangible and successful we can point
The Elwood Building to, something that demonstrates the elements of an Ecodistrict and
■ Five stories
■ helps us create a sense of place from what was once an asphalt
■ 143 studio, 1BR and 2BR apartments
■ parking lot.”
Aster Tower Andersen says people are drawn to Hassalo on Eighth in part

■ 21 stories
■ because of its sustainability focus. The development’s website
■ 337 studio, 1BR, 2BR and 3BR apartments and penthouses
■ features NORM on its home page, and new tenants are given a
■ Green roof, rooftop terrace and lounge
■ ■ ■ Sauna, hot tub and community room manual explaining how the wastewater treatment system works
CREDIT: GBD ARCHITECTS www.greenbuildermedia.com putting ammonia or chemicals down the drains. GB
and how they can help keep the system healthy, primarily by not
May/June 2017 GREEN BUILDER 33

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