OHSU nursing school finally gets its courtyard

Rendering of future OHSU School of Nursing Courtyard, courtesy OrangeWall Studios 

In the early 1990s, Thomas Hacker Architects (now THA Architecture) designed two major buildings for Oregon Health & Science University's Marquam Hill campus, the Biomedical Information and Communications Center (BICC) in 1991 and the School of Nursing in 1992.

As the nation's first fully computerized research library, and with a more striking form, the BICC received more fanfare. The concrete-framed building, clad in limestone and marble, has a glass block and aluminum window system that had not been attempted before. The project also reflected an array of talent working for Hacker at the time, including Brad Cloepfil, Rick Potestio, Elizabeth Williams, and John Cava.

“The BICC and School of Nursing derive strength from their finely tailored, structural integrity, which sets them apart from the current fashion for fragmented designs,” wrote Architecture magazine's Deborah Dietsch. “Thomas Hacker's buildings at OHSU not only offer a sign of health within their university setting, but within contemporary architectural design."

The School of Nursing building, on the other hand, never received as much celebration for its design, but that may be in part because the U-shaped building never saw construction of the courtyard at its center.

Now, 28 years later, and just in time for the school's 100th anniversary, a new courtyard design has been generated by architect Gary Hartill and his Portland firm, OrangeWall Studios after a private donation to the school has made going forward with construction possible. Shapiro Didway Landscape Architecture and Ken Diener of KJD Architecture also collaborated with OrangeWall on the design.

Rendering of future OHSU School of Nursing Courtyard, courtesy OrangeWall Studios 

Hartill was an unconventional choice, not because of a lack of talent but because he was an architect asked to bid on what would become his first such courtyard design.

"We were working on another project for OHSU ad they liked the design sensibilities," Hartill recalled in a recent phone interview. "They said, ‘We’ve got this courtyard.’ I said, ‘I’m not a landscape architect.’ And they said, ‘Design is design.’" The OrangeWall submission wound up beating out talented firms like Murase Associates (which was originally set to provide the landscape design when the building was first built, before budget problems ended that portion of the project) and Walker Macy. "We got it because we had a different perspective."

Part of that perspective was Hartill's advocacy for creating a master plan for the building as part of a holistic design process. As a result, the building facade is getting pressure washed and repainted, and the school is looking at a green roof for the building.

Rendering of future OHSU School of Nursing Courtyard, courtesy OrangeWall Studios    

To generate the courtyard design, "We talked to staff, faculty, emeritus alumni, students," the architect continues. "All of them had diff points of view but it came down to the same theme: They wanted a place of respite from the stress of the academic/medical world, and a unifying space that could encourage interaction.  Most people eat lunch at their desks now. There aren’t a lot of social spaces that invite interaction. For me that became the kicking off point for driving the design. How do we create a connection between the organization and rigor of the architecture? That drove a more fluid design. "

The clients, Hartill adds, "talked about the emotive components of nursing. Healing is about more than knowledge and data. It was a human connection. So if nursing is a combo of pragmatic and emotional components, how can that be incorporated into the design? The DNA strand became the organizing element. It binds all of these different elements to create something greater.

A new briese soleil shades the south facing elevation while glass canopies on the south side of the court provide protection from the rain. Rain gardens are activated by the weather collecting roofwater from the upper roofs and directing through the planters before returning the balance to the earth. The double helix of the DNA strand creates the symbolic and formal basis for the organization of the elements.

A native Portlander, Hartill initially was enrolled to study at the Oregon School of Design only to see it close; he instead attended Portland State and today speaks of well of what he sees as a holistic approach to design at the school. He later worked at Waterleaf Architecture + Interiors and then spent several years at ZGF Architects; his final project there was the Eliot Tower. Since forming OrangeWall Studios seven years ago, Hartill has worked largely on residential projects, including several homes for executives at local ad agency Wieden + Kennedy. But the OHSU School of Nursing courtyard is indicative of the broadened practice he would like to achieve for OrangeWall.

The School of Nursing courtyard is expected to begin construction in 2011.

Comments

[Aneeda]

I have to say this design looks terrifying.

[Mo]

I'm not sure what I find more troubling: the crazy arrows, the bad sketchup, or the schizophrenic design.

[Brian Libby]

Keep in mind these are renderings. I know a lot of architects who often feel their renderings don't adequately communicate what the finished product will be.

[Bob Loblaw]

I believe the renderings communicate the finished product quite well, which in this case is awful.

[Brian Libby]

I've removed the images of the building with all the arrows, just in case somebody reads this comment thread and wonders what we're talking about.

Also, I've added the names of two collaborators Gary asked me to mention initially but I forgot: Steve Shapiro of Shapiro Didway Landscape Architecture and Ken Diener of KJD Architecture.

[Andy]

Not to keep the discussion on the images (but I will) - a little post-production does a world of good to something as flat/garish as native sketchup, even with little time/fee.

This is interesting though, because I'd almost guarantee that Murase and WM had more sophisticated presentations, yet these images still got the job done to those who made the decision. It's funny how much flak that a lot of designers give SU (myself included), in spite of how warmly it's often received by non-designers.

[Aneeda]

The renderings are awful, but the design is what is so frightening. I can't remember when I've seen such a confused and chaotic organization of space. Although I've never felt that landscape needs to have a relationship to the architecture, this design isn't even vaguely sympathetic to it. For one thing, the space is actually quite small. Take a look at the photos on THA's website or visit it yourself. I can't imagine jamming all those wavy forms and natural rocks and water into that space. I hope they are able to edit heavily...there is nothing calming or elegant or beautiful about this design. Sorry to go off about it and my apologies to the architect, but if you're willing to put out garbage like this prepare yourself to defend it.

[Bye Bye Birdie]

Is it too late to go with Option B - hire a Landscape Architect as the lead designer? Design is not just design and this proves it.

[Daniel Toole]

I enjoy the BICC a lot and show it off every time I have architect friends visiting the city, and can remember learning things in Eugene, then taking a look at the set of drawings for this building that hung in the library to apply lessons. This is a great piece of architectural and cultural history for Portland's design heritage.

This proposed space has nothing to do with this design, nor does it reference any of the unique qualities of this site. This is not the correct answer. The right thing would be to put this out as a competition, even if pro bono, and place emphasis on targeting those involved in the design (names you've mentioned) who now have successfully established their own practices and pair them with a landscape architect.

Let's not let this piece of Portland start its' decline this early in its life as a building.

[anon]

oh dear, this design is terribly frightening/embarrassing. if this firm is going to use their terrible taste to name drop the firms they beat out in the "process." they might also mention their personal OHSU connections which won them the job in the first place.

[Anon]

Everyone has an opinion!

[Darrell Smith]

What the flip is going on with this design>>

[esw]

Dreadful and irresponsible.
Disrespectful to the context and scale of the building, the courtyard and the woods to the west. It is also arrogant, willful and juvenile. Beyond bad.
Why would you do this to a quietly nice building and outdoor room?
Not to put too fine a point on it.
Bob Murase, the original landscape architect, is turning in his grave.
Not what he had in mind.