Portland Airport a ‘Showcase for Recycling’
by Amanda Wills
Published on June 19th, 2009
3 Comments
USA Today reports that the Portland International Airport will be building a new office that will be a significant advancement in recycling gray water and black water for reuse in the airport and help sustain the environment.
New businesses will be ready to move into the new building starting in May 2010. Photo: Aisc.org
“The building itself is a gateway to our region,” says Martha Richmond, spokeswoman for the Port of Portland. “If you’re going to have a uniquely Portland building, one of the things is to make it as green and sustainable as possible.”
Construction on the new $241 million office building began in October 2007 and will be completed by spring 2010. The 10-story building will thrive off of human waste, or “black water.”
The new Port building will showcase its water treatment process in its lobby as four tanks will double as planters.
The building will be filled with plants in mulch-covered beds, which will grow on top of gravel. The black water recycling system will, in a sense, mimic a tide pool and will irrigate the plants.
According to Richmond, buildings must be viewed as a “living system” in order to be called sustainable. Not only will Portland’s new airport be aesthetically pleasing, but it will also be internally efficient.
Trey Granger
posted on June 19th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
It sounds like the city has investigated the health ramifications of this, which would be my biggest question with this kind of undertaking. I wonder if gray water will also be treated and used in this building, because Portland definitely gets enough rain for there to be supply.
Solar Power
posted on June 20th, 2009 at 12:56 am
Hopefully all new construction will begin to incorporate energy efficiency, along with environmentally friendly technology into their design.
thinker
posted on July 9th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
I will have to think twice now before drinking water from Portland Airport’s facilitites!