Portland (the Oregon one) has long been at the forefront of environmentalism and sustainability and all that good stuff. And now, the city’s taking it a step further (farther?), and planning the Sustainability Center of Excellence - and you better believe they’re trying to make it as green as possible. Now, first off, what is the Sustainability Center of Excellence? Well, Green Inc. from the New York Times says it is

a state-of-the-art high-rise that would function both as an emblem of hyper-green design, and as a locus for green-building research and education in the region. The center would unite the sustainability programs of the states’ universities under one roof, as well as start the city’s first fully-integrated sustainable neighborhood.

One of the issues, then, is how to make the facility as awesomely green as possible, as it will serve as an inspiration for all other green buildings and projects. The Center has compiled all sorts of green thinkers together to try and come up with the best green ideas to implement. And they’ve come up with some interesting stuff.

One popular idea was the “aware chair,” which would recognize the distinct print of each users’ backside and automatically adjust the lighting, temperature and other features of an office environment to a collection pre-set preferences. Also discussed: electricity-generating revolving doors attached to a “macho-meter” that instantly displays the entrants’ push power (and presumably, his or her contribution to the building’s zero-energy profile.)

It’ll be fascinating to see what these people ultimately develop. You can takepart and follow the Center’s blog to find out about new developments…with the development. Hm. Probably could have planned that one better.