Will they use lumber from small, local tree farmers or just FSC from big corporations and even out of state?
(yes, I'm a small, local tree farmer)

Maybe classes on sustainable sewing bees from Brady or metalsmith street cars from Hales? All money well spent on more PDC bonding.

Pretty funny that only government workers will have to make those "changes in tenant behavior", since only government agencies can be coerced to locate in the building. Seems fitting.

One can only imagine those "changes in tenant behavior"...

"People working in the Oregon Sustainability Center are only allowed to urinate twice a day in the building. The third and each subsequent urination in a day will be punished by a fine of $100.

People working in the Oregon Sustainability Center are only allowed to defecate once a week in the building. The second and each subsequent defecation in a week will be punished by a fine of $250.

Tenants will be issued with the key cards required to unlock the urinals and toilets, so that usage of the facilities can be monitored."

I just pray they don't get the Kool-Aid and wastewater mixed up.

If they do get the Koolaid and the waste water confused those fines are gonna add up!

Part of me wants to see this project go down just to see the stupified expressions of all the pols and planners when the building doesn't come together as intended. Just how do they plan to build an affordable (or safe!?) electrical grid throughout the building without using any PVC? That huge array of solar cells will generate a whole lotta of voltage on a hot sunny day, I'd be terrified of the building burning down from an electrical short if the PVC substitute doesn't insulate very well. At the very least it will keep some electricians fat and happy as the building suffers from chronic electric malfunctions.

I also have to wonder about the potential health hazards of letting the temperature climb up to 80 degrees in the summer time before any A/C kicks in (or whatever the green-equivalent of that is). Though people with high blood pressure or diabetes are probably not welcome among the green nazis, they can't legally prevent such people from working in this building. What happens if someone starts to feel a little faint from heat exhaustion? Oh right, they just plug the building into the backup utilities.

I guess besides that, the whole things sounds like a great idea with the best of intentions... what could possibly go wrong?

They won't get anything mixed up, they'll drink it ALL!

I get a bit weary by all this green this and that, perhaps because I spent time and efforts in really saving green before “green” was fashionable, in those years wanted environmental groups to assist, they were not forthcoming then and many are just as silent today. We have critical issues here in our city right now and where are all those folks who are so into “green” and “sustainability” or is it just the words that matter?

I wonder if the idiots who dream this stuff up actually believe it, or are they all just trying to punk us?

These press releases are so over the top they must be a self parody. Is anyone really stupid enough to think like this? Well okay, I have met people who were dumb enough to believe stuff like this, but I can't imagine that the people in charge are actually so dimwitted that they endorse this crazy crap.

I just hope newspapers are still around when this stupid decision comes home to roost.

How about PDC taking a large junk to show their buyin of the sustainability scam?

"The current liars' budget for the 130,000-square-foot miracle complex? $62 million."

Or about $500/sqft for a building without a lot of amenities (like HVAC). At 5% mortgage, that means about $30/sqft. Top level product in Portland leases for $40/sqft. You do the math, we'll be supporting this for years. Because they'll never get a grade A tenant, they'll need to give it away to non-profits.

Best proof so far PDC has waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much of our money.

Meanwhile, as schools and the Sellwood bridge collapse . . .

The Portland PR Spin Center.

If it were 2, 3 or 5 times as costly they would still be doing and saying the exact same things.

It just doesn't matter.

And since they know the building can repeately fail over many years and keep getting million to keep chasing the unicorn why not do it.

Not a single person will every face any concequences for anything while they'll get credit for the wonderful chase.

Ah, those "changes in tenant behavior"....

Reminds me of this classic.

. No private tenants are lined up

What about Skanska and Umpqua Bank?

WHY SHOUD POTENTIAL PRIVATE TENANTS WORRY ABOUT PRICE TAGS? To the contrary, private tenants are lined up for the dole.
One of the prime movers of the building is GE who's own Chris Allen(Regional Manager for GE Power and Water and formerly of CH2MHILL) is pocketing Portland taxpayer dollars via the EPA LT2 rule being
falsely forced onto our Bullrun pristine drinking water ($680 million to date for design and contractor costs). GE is still positioning to garner secret developer contracts via US Department
of Energy contracts through loan guarantees subsidized by fed
tax dollars to build new (faulty) nuke reactors in the US in South Texas.
A cool $54.5 Billion is in the works. (Please disregard %50 non completion -- phew -- of nuclear plant construction paid for by
fed tax dollars). And never mind those nasty tsuamis, floods
hurricanes and tornadoes happening steadily.

GE's latest mistake (oh so minor) in design and construction
in the nuke industry? Well, take a long look at Fukushima and you will find the GE newly improved safety device called a hardened vent. According to the Mainichi Daily News from Japan, these GE hardened vents in the containmnet system failed in Mark 1, 2 and 3 Reactor which DID NOT prevent meltdown and then also in Mark Reactor 4 caused a large explosion which will also be releasing massive radiation.

Oh well, that is just past minor mistakes of the renowned GE that Mayor Sam Adams will be prancing around town and touting sustainability.

This reminds me of the time about six months into our divorce when my ex-wife realized she could max out her credit card and I would have to pay it off. Then she continued to use her debit card for months after the funds were depleted...Good times, good times.

SamRand and the current PDC chair will be sipping cocktails on the fantail when the Sustainability Center chickens come home to roost. Too bad economic sustainability wasn't part of the equation.

Gee - this whole project sounds like the current PDC Headquarters - fomerly the Media Arts Center Building - that never could find enough (suckers) tennants to fill the dump. The major difference being this project is about 8-10 times more expensive.

Judging from who keeps funding the elections that keep this stuff being buit -- anything being built -- the occupants ought to include trade unions headquarters, personal offices of PGE board members, developers, Oregon Iron Works and all the other hangers-on who populate the election campaigns of pro-goofy building schemes and debt-based financing. Someone ought to be swallowing the bitter pill, and it might as well be them.

If Portland's main stream media didn't need PR handouts to stay alive, we might get some in depth reporting on this stuff.

"What about Skanska and Umpqua Bank?"

Tell me what rate they'll pay. Then I can tell you if they are private or taxpayer supported.

They're "talking to" Skanska. Talk is cheap. And Umpqua Bank has "committed to" putting a branch on the first floor. Doesn't sound like there's anything close to an actual lease.

There'll probably be a Subway sandwich shop, too. Woo hoo.

Will this be Portland's "Château de Versailles"?

Last month the Oregon legislative Ways and Means committee firmly rejected the sale of $39 million in bond funding for this project. Unless PDC has a back-up plan for finding some other source of funding, their endorsement tomorrow is not going to mean much.

How about a nice Dollar Store? Like the one in the Civic. That building has wind mills doesn't it?
Green, Sustainable, LEED, Iconic, Chinese, ...oops!

Actually, I like the thought of Skanska "behavior modifying" in that building. But Skanska is not going to sign up. It's not that stupid.

John Charles, so you have a link regarding that Ways and Means action?

Hey the ultimate sustainability is radioactive waste- it lasts forever.

Fill it up - it will probably glow green!

I think Skanska is building it. So there must be a deal there.

The Portland Center of Deals!

Still would like to know exactly what
the deal was when that GE rep. and Mayor Sam met and signed onto what?

If Skanska and Umpqua Bank are involved, here's the solution:

1. Umpqua Bank provides the funding.

2. Skanska builds it.

3. Both companies move in.

NO TAXPAYER DOLLARS REQUIRED. Both reap the savings from the "green" advantages; both can tout their "green" experience.

Isn't General Electric a major partner in the Oregon Sustainability Center? GE--the world's biggest polluter and tax dodger? http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2010/06/portland_mayor_sam_adams_gener.html

Can someone please write about this tragic partnership?

I am so glad I'll be retired before my office would move into this building. the 1900 building has a lot of problems with HVAC, and it was touted as new technology when it was built. And, as it is, most City bureaus are looking at cut packages for next year's budget of 4-8 per cent - and future years don't look any better. Guess that's one way to cut employee costs!