Needing to expand to accommodate 35 million annual passengers by 2045 but constrained by Portland’s urban growth boundary, PDX had to think outside the box when planning its expansion. The result is a case study in sustainability.

The first phase of the nearly $2 billion expansion and renovation of Portland International Airport, commonly known as PDX, opened in August. It’s a novel project that has turned PDX into America’s largest mass-timber airport and, according to a recent article from Metropolis, represents a massive milestone for the mass-timber industry. It’s also an example of innovative, creative thinking to address a spate of challenges, including limited space for expansion because of the local urban growth boundary, lack of feasibility around building conjoining existing buildings, the need for seismic resilience against earthquakes, and the fact the existing terminal needed to stay operational during construction, and a desire for sustainability. The solution? Prefabricate a nine-acre wood roof at the edge of PDX’s grounds and slide it into place over top the existing, operational terminal.
“By choosing [a] rebuild over a new airport, the project reduced its carbon footprint by 70 percent, but this required complicated choreography,” Brian Libby, reports for Metropolis. The roof is made with 3.5 million board feet of Douglas Fir sourced from landowners and mills within a 300-mile radius of the airport. According to the article, “The just-completed first phase, built underneath [the timber roof], includes new check-in counters, a Market Hall lined with local businesses, enlarged security checkpoints, and a so-called ‘walk in the forest’: that includes 5,000 plants and 72 mature black walnut, ficus, and olive trees, courtesy of Portland landscape architecture studio PLACE. Phase 2, with passenger exit lanes, additional shopping-dining areas, and north-south views through walls of glass, opens in late 2025.”
FULL STORY: Forest to Frame: Why Portland’s Airport is a New Milestone for Mass Timber

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

Poorest NYC Neighborhoods Pay Price for Delivery Boom
The rise of ‘last-mile’ e-commerce warehouses — and their attendant truck traffic and air pollution — is disproportionately impacting the most historically disadvantaged parts of the city.

Greening Oakland’s School Grounds
With help from community partners like the Trust for Public Land, Oakland Unified School District is turning barren, asphalt-covered schoolyards into vibrant, green spaces that support outdoor learning, play, and student well-being.

California Governor Suspends CEQA Reviews for Utilities in Fire Areas
Utility restoration efforts in areas affected by the January wildfires in Los Angeles will be exempt from environmental regulations to speed up the rebuilding of essential infrastructure.
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