The main federal building in Portland, Oregon is preparing for a major makeover that could make it one of the greenest in the world. The General Services Administration plans to install vertical gardens along the building’s 200 foot tall facade as part of a $133 million renovation. The “vegetated fins” will bloom in spring and summer, providing shade, and cutting energy costs for the building by an estimated 60 to 65 percent.

According to project architects Cutler Anderson, the irrigation system will likely use captured rainwater, or grey water recycled from the building’s interior plumbing. Landscaping experts will experiment with vines and other vegetation this summer, and if all goes according to plan, the garden wall will be blossoming by 2013. Written by Elsa Brown

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