To Whom It May Concern,

Portland State University has realized a unique outdoor laboratory (completed May 2012) to test landscape strategies that have the potential to improve the health and performance of the built environment. The Shattuck Hall Ecological Learning Plaza (SHELP) combines research with the development of fully accessible public space. All the infrastructure, furnishings and materials for the Plaza have been designed for relocation and reuse as new experiments are generated on the site. This strategy allows researchers to assess the performance of systems in a real life urban setting in direct contact with plaza users.

The first two experiments installed were an innovative green roof assembly and a comparative analysis of water usage in three distinct green wall systems. The green roof experiment is a comparison of deep soil profile assemblies that could potentially be installed at steeper inclines than conventional green roof systems. The research also explored the potential for an irrigation-free plant palate and soil profile that could survive the summer drought conditions of this region. The green wall experiments measure water usage, drainage rates and temperature changes of three green wall systems that have been oriented in all four aspects. Data is collected from three distinct zones in each wall surface. To further serve the design and development community the systems will go through two full growing cycles with records kept on plant performance, plant mortality, installation costs, maintenance costs, and maintenance requirements .

The Plaza was developed and fabricated by PSU School of Architecture and PSU Engineering faculty and students. Financial support was provided by METRO and design support was provided by Nevue Ngan Landscape Architects working in conjunction with PSU Architecture Faculty.

This year the Shattuck Hall Ecological Learning Plaza has been a destination for tours by the Bureau of Environmental Services, NASA, METRO, the American society of Landscape Architects, Portland Public Schools, and the Portland Planning Department. It has been the subject of a recent storm-water symposium intended to develop new strategies for the Portland Expo Center and is slated to be a stop for the Art of Storm Water Symposium hosted by officials from Clark County Washington.

Respectfully submitted,

Jeff Schnabel, Principal Investigator

Shattuck Hall Ecological Learning Plaza

School of Architecture

Portland State University

503.725.8440