Romtec recently put the finishing touches on this restroom building at the M. James Gleason Memorial Boat Ramp in Portland, Oregon. This restroom is part of a larger project at the boat ramp to renovate the site with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards and stormwater improvements. There are several aspects of this building design that earn the project points for LEED certification, and it is also designed with particular regard to stormwater.
Romtec’s ES Models
To get an environmentally friendly building, Portland Metro Regional Parks and Greenspaces, or Metro, began the project by looking at designs for one of Romtec’s ES models. The ES models are formally called Evergreen SIP models because they are constructed with tilt-up Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs). This building material is a green material because it produces almost no waste during manufacturing and offers additional structural benefits.
Green Energy Features
Another major design component beneficial to LEED certification is the grid tie-in solar panels. The solar package for this building is capable of supplying the complete electrical needs of the building while actually supplying excess power back into the grid. This is possible because of the growing availability of cost-effective and powerful solar packages and modern electrical devices.
For this restroom building, the complete supply of electrical and plumbing fixtures provides green benefits and improvements to the building efficiency. These fixtures include low-flow stainless steel toilets and urinals with push-button activation, interior motion-sensor lighting, exterior photo-control lighting, Dyson Airblade hand dryers, and Locknetics timed locking mechanisms.
The Restroom Design
This restroom building offers four ADA accessible, single-user bathrooms with the same green supply package. The exterior of the building is very pleasing with cedar board and batten siding and river rock wainscoting. The entire building was installed on a large raised pad to elevate the restroom above the floodplain for the nearby Columbia River. Keeping the building above the floodplain helped with the stormwater improvements for the overall project.
Other Park Features
Beyond the restroom building, Metro included several other green practices on this project. The existing parking surface was recycled into aggregate to be used as the crushed base for the new parking surface. The parking areas for the boat ramp and nearby beach will also include their own stormwater treatment technologies onsite for water collected on the impervious surfaces. Finally, a boat washing area will be included to help protect the area from invasive species that can be transferred on vessels.
This project by Metro is a terrific example of how to develop and execute a project with LEED goals and an environmentally responsible attitude. Choosing a Romtec ES model helped Metro get restroom building designed to earn its project points toward higher LEED certification. If you have any question about Romtec’s ES models or getting a green building, contact us with your project details and our staff will be happy to help.
For more information on this and other Metro projects, visit its website to see how Portland is advancing sustainability in public works.
