Thirteen schemes were developed for the Gresham City Hall project under the Sustainable Cities Initiative during the winter term of 2010. Each group took a unique approach to the challenges and opportunities presented. All were concerned with density, creating viable public space, displaying sustainable systems, creating a ‘democratic’ building that emphasized public participation and visual connection, and strengthening pedestrian and transit paths to and through the site. Projects that had carefully crafted outdoor space, iconic building forms, a range of large-scale
sustainable strategies and effective plan layouts seemed to garner the most interest from reviewers, both those from the City of Gresham and professionals. While a new City Hall is still years away, all of the proposals offered vital points of view and a range of solutions to the constraints with new development.
