In 2004, the Portland State University?s Broadway Housing Building was the largest eco roof in Portland. Developed by Gerding Edlen, Otak Architects Otak is providing design services for Gerding Edlen Development and Portland State University on this 212,095-sf, ten-story, mixed-use building located adjacent to the PSU campus. The building provides 384 studio apartment units, 15,230-sf of retail space at street level, and 17,910-sf of classroom space at the second level. Key sustainable features of the project include an 18,201-sf eco-roof, high-efficiency fixtures as well as locally and sustainably harvested materials throughout.

In keeping with both the developer and University?s goals for sustainability, this project is pursuing a LEED Silver rating. The Eco Roof was specified on this project because of the following:? Sustainability – The environmental benefits include decreasing stormwater runoff, saving energy, reducing pollution and erosion.? LEED Tax Credits – Category credits include; erosion and sedimentation control, stormwater management, landscape and exterior design to reduce heat, water efficient landscaping, energy performance.? Design Commission Approval Criteria – The eco roof was an essential requirement for receiving design approval on Broadway Housing project because of ?gateway? location of building to downtown Portland.? Floor Area Ratio Bonus – The City of Portland offers a 3 to 1 building square footage bonus if actual eco roof area exceeds 60% of actual roof area. The allowable bonus square footage on Broadway Housing was 54,603 square feet.Portland State University has a monitoring program at Broadway Housing to collect data on stormwater runoff volume, stormwater quality, and building energy consumption.