$3ortlanh (Observer
December 14, 2011
Page II
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Sustainability, :
Play Area Made from Natural Materials
Portland has its first-ever ven
ture into nature play structures, a
new and current trend in sustain
able environmentally-friendly play
areas.
The Spring Garden Park nature
play area in southwest Portland is
constructed of natural and recycled
materials such as trees and rocks.
The site and materials are sustain
able environmentally friendly, and
fun ! It provides a place to play in the
park similar to the free form explora
tion many adults experienced when
they were younger.
Portland Parks & Recreation do
nated time and labor for the much-
anticipated nature play area, seen
as a clear and powerful message to
the community that their advocacy
can deliver real results.
"The nature play area is an ex
ample of Portland Parks & Recre
ation using an innovative approach
to recreation," says Portland Parks
Commissioner Nick Fish. "We’ve
built a playground with sustainable
materials, as well as provided chil
dren with a chance to be imaginative
in their play and to explore nature at
the same time."
The development of the nature
play area at Spring Garden Park is
the result of collaboration between
PP&R, Friends of Spring Garden
P ark , and U m pqua B ank's Natural and recycled materials such as trees and rocks are used in Portland’s first nature play structure, a new sustainable and
environmentally-fun playground at Spring Garden Park in southwest Portland.
Multnomah Village Store.
Portland Building
Deemed Historic
The Portland Public Service
Building in downtown Portland is
O regon's latest entry in the N a
tional Register o f Historic Places.
Although the 30-year old build-
ing does not m eet the 50-year
guideline for listing in the regis
ter, the bqilding was recognized
for its exceptional im portance in
the field of architecture.
Constructed in 1982, the build
ing is an early and seminal work of
P o s t-M o d e rn C la s s ic is m , an
A m erican Style defined by inter
nationally-know n m aster archi
tect M ichael G raves through his
early work.
The 15-story stru ctu re was
ground-breaking for its rejection
o f "universal" M odernist princi
pals em bodied in the glass and
concrete boxes of the early 20th
century in favor of the bold and
symbolic color, w ell-defined vol
umes, and stylized- and reinter-
preted-classical elem ents such as
pilasters, garlands, and keystones
to create a building that was
physically and sym bolically tied
to place, its use, and the W estern
architectural tradition.
W hile there’s been criticism of
the building's structural adequacy
and aesthetics, its design is still
studied by students of design and
architecture, officials said.
The Portland Public
Service Building down
town has been recognized
for its importance in the
field o f architecture.
- Ili;’
1I 'm
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