Green Futures Lab

Lecture with Rasmus Astrup: City Nature and the Nature of Cities

Recorded lecture can be found here: Rasmus Astrup – UW Green Futures + Scan Design Foundation Lecture Series on Vimeo City Nature and the Nature of Cities Nov. 13 6pm UW Architecture Hall 147 Thank you for those that were able to join us for an engaging and timely lecture by Rasmus Astrup of the…

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Lecture with Martine Kildeby Copenhagen’s BLOXHUB: Nordic Hub for Sustainable Urbanization

Martine Kildeby – UW Green Futures + Scan Design Foundation Lecture Series from UW College of Built Environments on Vimeo. In case you missed it, we are thrilled to share the recording of a lecture that took place on May 8, 2023. Martine Kildeby, the Head of Strategic Partnerships for BLOXHUB, delivered an inspiring presentation…

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Marine Floating Wetland Launched!

As of June 2022, the Green Futures Lab’s marine unit was installed at Shilshole Bay Marina in Seattle, Washington. With volunteers from Earth Corps, the unit was loaded with substrate, planted, launched, and fastened to the dock. We are hopeful, this unit will provide vital habitat for our local juvenile salmon. Since the installation, the…

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Sweetgrass Eco Arts Event

On Sunday November 7th the Green Futures lab held a public Eco Arts Celebration in Fremont along the Burke Gilman Trail. Funded through the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, the event featured art highlighting and interpreting the critical passage of salmon through the Fremont cut, and the recently-installed floating wetlands that are meant to support baby…

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Sweetgrass Shorelines Restoration Project kicks off!

The Sweetgrass Shorelines Restoration Project – the latest in the Living Shorelines Puget Sound effort to revive Seattle’s waterways – kicked off on July 14. Ecological and design professionals and students around Seattle all gathered on Zoom to learn about the project’s intentions and start brainstorming potential sites for implementation. Each group identified many opportunities…

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Re-Planting the Biodiversity Green Wall

​After a few months of troubleshooting an irrigation issue, the Green Wall has been successfully re-planted! Continuing to provide a learning opportunity for students in UW’s College of Built Environments, the Green Futures Lab will continue collecting performance data on this living wall, researching its effects and sharing our results with the public, academic, and…

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ROSS Wins Local and National Awards

  ROSS won an ASLA Honor Award as well as a WASLA Merit Award in Analysis and Planning!

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New ROSS Website Launched!

Check out the new website for the Regional Open Space Strategy (ROSS) project!! openspacepugetsound.org

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Bird Perches Installed on the Biodiversity Green Wall

Our observations of the Biodiversity Green Wall revealed a need for perches for birds to rest on as they forage or collect nesting materials. Thanks to some funding from the UW Campus Sustainability Fund we have constructed new perches and may get more visitors now!

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New Nest Discovered on the Biodiversity Green Wall

Habitat on our Green Wall! Today we discovered an expanding family of juncos!

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GFL Received a UW Green Seed Fund Award for Monitoring Green Wall

In its first year of operation the UW Green Seed Fund has awarded the GFL an opportunity to monitor the effects of the Biodiversity Green Wall, Edible Green Screen, and Water Harvesting System. Check out the Daily article on the Green Seed Fund, including excerpts from an interview with GFL director, Nancy Rottle.

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The Green Futures Lab goes to Taiwan!

Green Futures Lab director, Nancy Rottle, and lab manager, Leann Andrews were invited to Taiwan to participate in the 2013 International Co-operative Workshop ‘’Green Wave – The Way to Green Capital.” The workshop is focused on re-imagining a green future for the City of Taipei. Check out our Facebook album!

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Floating Wetlands Launched in Lower Stensland Creek

Ten floating wetland modules were launched in Lower Stensland Creek to improve water quality and reduce water temperature. The modules were designed as part of a seminar class held last spring funded by Waterfront Construction, and then constructed by students this summer.   Related Projects

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Public Forum in Burlington, WA

On July 10th, representatives from the Green Futures Lab and the City of Burlington held a public forum to present ideas for the redevelopment of their downtown core and the implementation of green stormwater infrastructure. The ideas were met with lots of enthusiasm from the public and city officials. Everyone is quite excited to see…

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Green Wall Demonstration Video

Check out our official video trailer of the Biodiversity Green Wall, Edible Green Screen and Water Harvesting Demonstration Project! Filmed and edited by our MLA student Harley Pan!

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Stormwater Symposium

A group of 25 Danish professionals, comprised of utility managers, faculty and graduate students spent six days exploring urban green infrastructure in the Pacific Northwest and San Francisco. The University of Washington Green Futures Lab assisted with arrangements for the Pacific Northwest portion of the tour where a diverse range of activities that provided the…

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Green Wall Receives Honorable Mention for the What Makes It Green Award

The Biodiversity Green Wall, Edible Green Screen and Water Harvesting Demonstration Project just won an Honorable Mention for the What Makes It Green Award. Construction began on May 25! Check out WMIG’s webpage.

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Waterfront Stormwater Solutions Project Receives a WASLA Professional Award

GFL’s Waterfront Stormwater Solutions project won a 2012 WASLA Professional Award in the Research, Planning and Analysis Category!

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Nord Alley Party

GFL, ISI, and Feet First are hosting an evening of art, live music and refreshments in the Nord Alley located in Pioneer Square. Photographic works by Jordan Lewis will explore the architectural elements of Pioneer Square’s alleyways as well as the potential for alternative models of interaction with our built environment. The Nord Alley will…

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Regional Open Space Strategy | 4 County Stakeholder Workshop and Visioning Session

GFL and the NWCLC are hosting a workshop and visioning session to develop a vision for how this project can best support the wealth of local and regional knowledge in open space planning and management in the Central Puget Sound Basin. We have invited a range of participants from the four county region, representing interests…

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Article Published: “Green Skins” Grow in the Emerald City, by GFL Green Roof Researcher

An article was recently published in the Daily Journal of Commerce by GFL Green Roof Researcher Danielle Pierce describing the process and research behind the Green Roof Performance Study.

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GFL Staffer Travels to Geneva, Switzerland to Develop Green Infrastructure Concept

Green roof research scientist David Bramer is one of nine U.S. landscape architecture students chosen to help draft a sustainable landscape for the U.S. mission to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. The students will work together with three Swiss landscape architecture students and under the guidance of three American landscape architecture educators to develop…

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Regional Open Space Strategy Scoping Project Launched

The Bullitt Foundation has provided funding for the GFL and the Northwest Center for Livable Communities (NWCLC), to develop a Regional Open Space Strategy (ROSS) that will identify measures to conserve and enhance open space systems that contribute to the ecological, economic, recreational and aesthetic vitality of our region. As envisioned, the ROSS will include…

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Green Roof Pilot Project Launched

The Green Futures Lab is collaborating with the Department of Biology, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the College of Built Environments department of Landscape Architecture to realize a green roof demonstration project. The project is located on the UW campus alongside the Botany Greenhouse.

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Design for Livability: Sustainable Cities Forum

The Green Futures Lab and the Integrated Design Lab participated in the Design for Livability Conference by inviting conference participants to contribute project suggestions for inclusion in the Greater Seattle Green Guide. Students and conference participants contributed several dozen new projects – thank you to everyone who participated!

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Green Roof Website Launched

GFL research scientists Danielle Pierce and Dave Bramer have developed a website that will enable researchers, students, and professionals to access information about recent and innovative green roof projects in Seattle and beyond.

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Interns Work with the GFL, ISI, and the City of Seattle

Gehl interns Katherine Wimble and Eric Scharnhorst adapted Gehl methodology to conduct a study of the pedestrian environment around three light rail stations (Othello, Mt. Baker, and Beacon Hill) in order to capture baseline data on existing conditions of the areas before Sound Transit operations begin in July 2009. Within a 1/4 mile radius of…

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Streets for People Kickoff Forum

Green Futures Lab participated in the Streets for People Kickoff Forum on Thursday, February 12, 2009. This event was sponsored by the Seattle Great City Initiative, and was attended by representative from many local organizations, firms, and activist groups. Presenters at the event included: James Inwin | Organizing in the Obama era Renee Espiau |…

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