It looks like a giant sculpture draped in steel mesh rising out of a dense urban landscape. But the 70-foot-tall structure at the southern gateway to Portland's light-rail line is a federally funded renewable energy project that could influence urban transportation and development for years to come.

In addition to serving as a link between Union Station and Portland State University,

includes a substation and communications building at Southwest Jackson between Fifth and Sixth avenues. It is designed to operate mostly on solar and wind power.

The substation provides power to about one-third of the Portland mall light rail. The signals/

communications building is one of two in the downtown area that runs all communication between trains and traffic signals on the mall, including closed-circuit television.

"This is something we've never really done," TriMet architect Bob Hastings said. "It's the first of its kind anywhere on a transit system."

Federal stimulus dollars provided funding for the steel structure and the coiled metal drapery that will envelope all but the south side, which will support the substation's future solar array. Construction started Dec. 14 and is expected to be completed by Feb. 12.

TriMet is still putting together funding for the most innovative piece of the $1.2 million project: the solar panels and small wind turbines that will spin atop the transit rail posts. The agency's goal is to have everything up and running by fall.

The 50-kilowatt solar array will cost $750,000, and the turbines are estimated to cost about $250,000. The two elements will be paid for with public funding, energy tax credits and PGE's renewable energy fund.

Together, the solar panels and 22 turbines will produce 75 to 90 percent of the power needed to operate the site, with energy that goes unused during peak production times sold back to PGE.

PSU plans to participate by monitoring and studying the substation's renewable energy data. The hope is that TriMet's south terminus will become a model for other cities interested in tapping renewable energy sources for public transportation projects.

"Wind energy in an urban environment is such an untapped field," Hastings said.

The wind turbines, which stand just under 4 feet tall, are designed and built by a local company,

. They will spin on a vertical axis atop the steel poles that support the wires for light rail.

"I love the idea that we can get energy even at night," Hastings said. "They'll spin like a top, very quietly, with no big rotors to harm the birds."

manufactured the secure -- yet striking -- steel curtain that will cloak the substation and communications building. Liberty Steel Erectors installed the metal framework; what looks like a gigantic old-fashioned fireplace curtain will be hung next week.

Neither building is designed to house employees, but TriMet workers will use the buildings periodically to monitor and maintain the equipment.

The innovative design grew out of an issue TriMet often encounters: Strict city design guidelines prohibit the agency from covering its equipment with unsightly prefabricated buildings, cyclone fencing and razor wire.

Mindful of the highly visible location, TriMet wanted the structure to be special. So the agency hired local architecture firm

to come up with a design that would be both stunning and functional.

"We wanted it to be iconic," said David Byrne, the firm's project manager. "This was an opportunity to be more expressive rather than just cladding the building in facade materials."

The firm recently won a 2009 merit award from the American Institute of Architects for the design. The institute praised the firm's creative approach to urban renewal despite tight funding and design restrictions.

"They did a gateway treatment for downtown, stretching everybody's understanding of what this could be," Hastings said. "This is a small facility, but it could have a large impact."

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