Case Study

Dolph Creek Townhomes

Portland, Oregon
About the Project:
Designed by
Shawn Sullivan of
Sullivan
Architecture LLC, a
14-unit townhouse
on the edge of
Tyron Creek in
Portland saves
30% of energy
saving annually by
using efficient
heating, and
advanced building
design. Storm
basins along the
creek edge were
replaced with eco
roofs, moving water quality and
storm water management from
the site to the roof.
(portlandoregon.gov)

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jetsongreen.typepad.com

Location: Portland,
Oregon
Site Description:
Neighborhood
Residential
It is located in an
urban site, located in
an existing
neighborhood next to
Spring Garden City
rhconst.com

Park and is a part of a larger development including Headwaters and

The Village
Apartment complexes.
Around it is an easy way to commute with bicycle lanes and public
transportation to SW Portland.
Climate: Pacific Marine
Design Goal
The Tyron Headwaters Project of the Tyron Creek Watershed
Plans achieves watershed functions and economic development with
creek and wetland restoration, restored habitat, improved creek
hydrology and water quality, reduced urban heat island and energy
consumption, increased property values, new market rate and
affordable housing, property tax revenues, and improved transit for
pedestrians, cars and bikes. (ascelibrary.org)
The design goal for the townhomes was to create a practical,
comprehensive model for a dense neighborhood development. This
included complete onsite storm water management, avoiding water
flow into the City of Portland storm sewer system. This was
accomplished by restoring nearby Tryon Creek, and daylighting it
onto the site. The homes also integrated features beyond code,
such as high performance windows and insulation. The homes have
an annual energy saving of almost 30% beyond code.(locatestte.org)
Interior
The air inside the houses is maintained with a high efficiency
ventilator that provides air
exchanges. It takes advantage of
the natural sun to provide ample
lighting to the homes.
Proposed Green Features
Major green features originally
proposed included an efficient
heating and domestic hot water
system and restoration of the
headwaters in the Tryon Creek
watershed.

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locate-stte.org
Water
Managing and filtering water on-site helps reduce the cost of
building and maintaining piped systems that reduce impacts on
local rivers. The goal of the Dolph Creek project is to filter 100
percent of storm water on-site.
Strategies
Drip irrigation for landscaping
Eco-roofs
Solar water heating system with on-demand water heater
Restoration of Headwaters to Tryon Creek watershed
Low flow faucets and toilets
Storm water detention basins
Native and drought-tolerant landscaping
100% pervious site
Waste
All construction and demolished materials were recycled
Reuse of 80% of deconstructed building materials
Use of recycled content materials
ENERGY
Overview:
The building uses:
A high efficiency heat recovery ventilator, integrated with a
hydronic heating system. The infiltration to 0.325 air changes
per hour.
A solar thermal collector is used with an 80 gallon tank and
photovoltaic modules.
Walls and floors are insulated with polyfoam; energy efficient
windows have a U-value of 0.28.

Exterior sunscreens were installed to block the sun during the

summer months.
All appliances are Energy Star certified and compact
fluorescent lighting is used throughout the homes.

Liptan, T., Wahab, A., and Cunningham, C. (2010) Watershed

Functions as the Basis for Selecting Low Impact Strategies Case
Study: The Tryon Creek Headwaters Development. Low Impact
Development 2010: pp. 1730-1739. Retrieved From:
http://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/41099%28367%29149
http://www.locate-stte.org/caseStudies/53703cf7c652b.pdf
https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/437412