The Willamette River is central to Portland’s landscape, economy, culture, and history, and is an invaluable source of vitality for the city. It provides recreational opportunities in and around its waters, connects the city to global commerce, provides habitat for fish and wildlife, and has imbued the city with a rich history. The river serves many functions for the city of Portland and consequently many stresses are placed on its waters and surrounding landscape. Tightening land supply, environmental contamination, and outdated policy hinder riverfront industrial areas from competing with global markets. Public demand for waterfront access and recreation is on the rise. Pollutants from past industrial practices and contaminated runoff have settled as toxic sediments in the Portland Harbor, decimating salmon and trout populations. Addressing these issues along the North Reach of the Willamette River has the potential to rejuvenate the economic and ecological prosperity of Portland’s distinctive natural resource.
This thesis seeks to investigate the possible coexistence of habitat and industry in the derelict industrial zone along the Northern banks of the Willamette river, between the Freemont Bridge and St. Johns Bridge. The revitalization of the North Reach industrial waterfront has the potential to stimulate Portland’s harbor economy, remediate environmental damage, restore riparian and wildlife habitat, and provide recreational waterfront access to the public. Through my research I will attempt to determine how these project objectives can be brought into balance through architectural program; serving as a constituent of a larger urban/industrial ecology. What industries are appropriate for the site? What types of industry have the potential to foster economic prosperity while minimizing environmental impact? Are there byproducts of industrial processes that are potentially beneficial for a particular habitat? Are there byproducts of industrial processes that are potentially beneficial for another type of industry? To what degree can landscape and manufacturing create ecology? I will attempt to address questions of this nature through my research.
The selection of site an program will be based on information gathered from the Portland Bureau of Planning’s North Reach River plan, the PDC’s Urban Renewal Report, Metro’s Habitat Conservation Areas, as well as experiential reactions to considered sites. As of now the program consists of a tower manufacturing and research center for Vestas wind turbines.
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