Portland Architecture

How three local designs made the AIA's Top Ten Green Projects list

PCC Newberg (photo by Stephen Miller)

BY JULIETTE BEALE

While Portland may have lost its lead as the most bike-able city to Minneapolis, and one publication now ranks ours as only the ninth greenest city in the country, we are arguably still at the forefront when it comes to green design, as evidenced by having three projects on the 2012 AIA COTE Top Ten list: the Mercy Corps Word Headquarters, Hood River Middle School, and Portland Community College’s Newberg Center. Earlier this week, The University of Oregon’s Architecture Department hosted a panel discussion featuring key members from each of these projects’ design teams.

The Mercy Corps World Headquarters, designed by THA Architecture, is a LEED Platinum project that combines an existing historic structure with a modern addition. Open offices were placed on the outer edge near the windows, in the historic portion, and core and service elements were located toward the center. In the modern addition, the entire East elevation is a curtain wall shaded by street trees.  The project has a 3,800 square-foot green roof, stack ventilation through the main staircase, and re-used timber stair treads.

Hood River Middle School Music and Science Building, designed by Opsis and set to achieve net-zero energy usage (generating as much as it consumes), is located within the context of a larger school that is on the National Historic Register. The building’s design demanded an acute consideration of the natural context, the historic fabric, and the school’s sustainable/ science curriculum. The project has a geothermal heating system with heat exchange recovery ventilators, a radiant floor slab, and high mass walls for thermal storage. Trusses and other materials were salvaged from the demolition of a buss storage barn previously located on the site for re-use in the new roof structure.   

Portland Community College- Newberg Center, by Hennebery-Eddy, is the first of six buildings planned for this newest PCC campus. A net-zero project like Hood River, the building’s envelope is insulated with structural insulated panels (SIPS).  Sloped ceilings leading upward toward skylights provide enough diffuse light to meet lighting needs during daytime hours. A series of louvers and dampers, located below windows, bring fresh air into the building.   Large stacks, located along the building’s central axis, naturally vent air, while a109-kW photovoltaic array generates all the space’s energy.

Panelists (from top) Alec Holser, David Keltner, Doug Reimer, Erica Dunn

One panelist was quick to note that all three Portland projects outperformed the others on the list, a good boost for Portland pride. Projects are judged on a set of criteria including light and air, water cycle, land use and site ecology, among others. Yet these panelists collectively suggested several other driving forces rooted in our well-established sustainable building culture.

For example, the clients of these projects were savvy and didn’t need to be convinced into adopting strict sustainable goals, panelists agreed.  For Mercy Corps, a sustainable building was in tandem with its official mission: “To alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities.” PCC Newberg’s President went to the design team with the goal of creating the most sustainable building possible.  At Hood River Middle School, the curriculum being housed in the new building was environmental, so the client wanted a sustainable building to showcase these technologies in an educational way.

Government and nonprofit incentives also helped projects along. The State of Oregon, for example, offers many financial incentives to promote green design. PCC-Newberg took advantage of the Energy Trust of Oregon’s Path to Net Zero program.  The project’s solar array as funded by a bond measure that stipulated 50% of project funds had to go toward solar technology.

Hood River Middle School (video courtesy Opsis)

Having a high goal such as LEED Platinum or net zero focused the clients’ attention and gave them something to rally behind, panelists also said. For Hood River Middle School, the building itself was to be a tool for sustainable education. Working with Opsis, they investigated all the ways net zero strategies could also be used in the classroom. Building energy use monitors are in visible locations for students. A portion of the wall was cut back to reveal the construction. Students were involved in the process of designing a living machine. 

David Keltner of THA mentioned that Portland is already positioned at a tipping point when it comes to our understanding of sustainable technologies.  For this type of project to be successful, panelists agreed, it demands an integrated project team of architects, engineers, contractor and client.  There also must be industry buy-in. “Engineering something that is not out there in everyone’s vocabulary is like designing a Ferrari,” Alec Holser of Opsis said. Having professionals ready to work together to find new approaches to meet these challenges was fundamental.  In the case of net zero, many of the technologies must solve two problems at once and then they need to work with the other strategies. There is a complex balance, for example, between daylighting and heat gains. The PCC innovative sloped ceiling helped spread the light of a standard type and sized skylight. 

Panelists were unanimous that net-zero projects are paving the way for future invention and innovation in materials and technologies.  As they become more of a norm, codes too will need to be updated.  Net zero water usage is difficult to achieve when water recycled on site cannot be reused in the landscape or restrooms.

Mercy Corps (photo by Jeff Amram)

A great lesson from these projects is that green buildings can be designed in a way that educates their users. Whether it’s building performance monitors or an architectural display of strategies on the facade, the more users learn, the more comfortable users become with these buildings. Through understanding there is change. When people know they are in a cutting edge building with passive heating/ cooling they have different expectations.  Erica Dunn of Hennebery Eddy cited that more people complain of being too hot when they have AC than when they don’t because they are mentally prepared for a greater range in temperatures. It’s really about common sense, Rob Reimer of Hennebery Eddy said. “It’s not about gadgets or gizmos. Just designing a smart building.” 

In the end, continually searching for new paradigms is critical for advancing the design discourse. For example, David Keltner noted there is always talk of reductions in energy use, but what about a consideration of new forms of energy production?  Our next step will entail a re-thinking that is even more outside the box. It will be interesting to see how this may shape the future of COTE Top Ten Green Projects.

 

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Stadium Fred Meyer joins fraternity of well-designed central city grocers

Proposed Stadium Fred Meyer store (image courtesy Group Mackenzie)

BY FRED LEESON

Often it seems that the buildings that sustain us with food and the necessities of life are among the most ugly we encounter.  Think Wal-Mart, Costco, or even the revamped Safeway on Hawthorne Boulevard that reopened to dismal reviews earlier this year.

Perhaps the same will NOT be said about a remodeled Stadium Fred Meyer, which is currently on the drawing boards at the Group Mackenzie architecture and planning firm. With a not-so-gentle prod from the Portland Design Commission, the evolving Fred Meyer plan shows respect for pedestrians, its prominent West Burnside frontage and gives a subtle nod to Burnside history.

But let’s backtrack for a moment. Fred Meyer plans to tear down the long vacant Hollywood Video store and fill the parking lot that also faced on West Burnside.  Group Mackenzie came to the Design Commission last year for two advisory meetings. In the first, the firm presented  a “suburban-esque” design with corner-defining mini-towers topped with hipped roofs. The design reviewers voiced the kind of criticism that would have improved the Hawthorne Safeway project, had it been located in a design zone designated by the city. One commissioner called the hipped roofs “party hats.”

“We had a more suburban approach and everyone hated it,” said Terry Krause, one of the Group Mackenzie architects.

To its credit, Group Mackenzie returned with a design that much better reflects its high-density urban location.  The firm also met six times with the aggressive Northwest District Association land-use committee, which ranks high among Portland’s neighborhood watchdog groups.  “We are well-pleased with the evolution of this project,” the committee chair, John Bradley, testified last week – words seldom heard by other Northwest Portland developers.

The revised plan adopts a brick-faced arcade along the sloping Burnside frontage, ranging from two levels at NW 20th Place to four levels at NW 20th Ave.  The main entrance to Fred Meyer will be at 20th Place, while the 20th Avenue corner will include two tenant-retail spaces to activate the eastern edge.

The arcade will provide a covered pedestrian space 10 feet wide, in addition to the 15-foot sidewalk.  Krause  said the Burnside frontage will include Fred Meyer’s floral shop and a seating area in addition to the two retail spaces near 20th Avenue.  

Krause and Ryan Schera, a Group Mackenzie land-use planner, said the arcade theme evokes older arcade-like buildings along East Burnside.  “We think it will be a wonderful addition to the neighborhood,” Krause said.   In what could be taken as a dramatic understatement, Schera said the design  “would be a fairly significant departure from other Fred Meyer stores.” 

There are a few modest quibbles to be resolved before the commission approves the final plan, likely to occur next month. One involves bike parking, and how to keep bikes from from cluttering up the front of the building. The current plan calls for bike parking in the ground-floor covered parking lot, but there are concerns that some cyclists will chose to lock on to street signs or any other secure post on the street, instead.

The proposed Fred Meyer blade signs also exceed the city’s sign regulations for square footage.  Chris Caruso, the city planner assigned to the project, recommended approval anyway, saying, “We felt the signs were in keeping with the general size of the building.”  Design commissioners seemed less sure.  But they also laughed when Bradley of the neighborhood association noted the neighborhood “would lose the hideous free-standing internally illuminated sign” that sits there today. 

The design commission is likely to approve the plan when Fred Meyer returns on October 18.  Commissioner Ben Kaiser called the plan a “drastic improvement” over the first version. “It has come a long ways from what we first saw,” added Chair Gwen Millius.

 

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The Zidell Yards: discussing a new Portland neighborhood

Zidell Yards and Ross Island Bridge (rendering courtesy Zidell/ZGF)

BY BRIAN LIBBY

Between the Ross Island Bridge and the Marquam Bridge downtown, between the condo towers of South Waterfront and the shops of Riverplace, there is a 30-acre riverfront parcel poised to become not only Portland's newest neighborhood, but one of the major redevelopments in the United States.

This chunk of land belongs to the Zidell family, which owns the Zidell Marine Corporation, operater of a barge-building facility adjacent to the Portland Aerial Tram's lower terminus in South Waterfront, as well as ZRZ Realty, which is developing the property. The Zidells chose to sit out the real-estate boom of the mid-2000s that saw towers rise with great velocity only to fall into receivership. Now, though the boom times have not returned, the real estate market has resumed enough stability that, coupled with the construction of a new pedestrian and light rail bridge and OHSU's massive new Collaborative Life Sciences building on the northern edge of the Zidell property, the family decided to move forward.

"We’ve always known we would redevelop. It wasn’t a matter of if," explains Matt French, managing director of ZRZ Realty and a nephew of company president Jay Zidell; French is overseeing redevelopment of what's being called the Zidell Yards. "It’s really a confluence of this stuff that’s been developed around us. We have the density, we have the transit, and we have a site that’s now undergoing restoration. About two years ago we decided that now’s the time."

The Zidells were already working with ZGF Architects on a new apartment project just across Moody Street from the aerial tram, called The Emery (named after Jay Zidell's father, Emery Zidell). Happy with that working relationship, they hired ZGF to create a master plan. Along the way, the company began quietly meeting with people all over town, from small creative companies to corporations, government offices to community groups. Most importantly, they hired acclaimed landscape architect Peter Walker, designer of Jamison Square in the Pearl District and numerous other projects around the world, to focus on creating compelling public space.

Zidell Yards and the new MAX/pedestrian bridge (rendering courtesy Zidell/ZGF)

"The future of America is in these walkable urban places," says Dennis Allen, director of planning and development for ZRZ Realty, which has help develop numerous mixed-use and transit projects in Los Angeles. "They don’t have to be always around a central business district. It’s a bout placemaking. We think that this site has the opportunity to magnify that. We think it can really be the next great place in Portland."

As the Zidell Yards parcel was laid out, a decision was made to divert from Portland's traditional square, 200x200-foot blocks. Instead, the blocks collectively show a gentle curve in parallel to the bend of the river, and in order to allow greater variety of building scales and types. "There’s meant to be an element of discovery and surprise: wanting to see what’s around the corner or down an alley," French explains.

South Waterfront, conceived in a boom time, features mostly tall, half-block-sized towers. French and Allen say there will probably be greater diversity in the Zidell Yards, with the highest density coming on the northern edge adjacent to the new bridge and the Collaborative Life Sciences building. "It’s important to create buildings that have diverse shapes and sizes and architecture," French adds. "It gives the neighborhood more depth and scale, when you have both big buildings and more human scale buildings." 

More than density and just housing, though, the developers seem interested in attracting offices and other commercial occupants. As Randy Gragg reports in this month's Portland Monthly, for example, the Zidell-ZRZ team is talking with M Financial about relocating there.

Zidell Yards, Ross Island Bridge, The Emery apartments (rendering courtesy Zidell/ZGF)

"One of the things we’ve found getting out and talking to people is people are working differently now. Their employees are demanding different things and they’re having to build different types of places to retain them," French says. "So we’ve been spending time thinking about what will cater to that next generation of workforce."

What may be most exciting about the development of the Zidell Yards is the opportunity for Portland to be re-introduced to the Ross Island Bridge, and for people to experience the bridge like never before. Have you ever been to Cathedral Park in North Portland, standing under the support columns of the majestic St. Johns Bridge and looking out at the water? The columns of the Ross Island Bridge, though it's never been beloved for its beauty like the St. Johns, are remarkably similar: lacking the gothic curve with a more rigid, rectangular form, yet standing tall to create a kind of unintended architectural space: a grandly scaled procession to the waterfront, enhanced by the construction of the South Waterfront Greenway, which extends through the Zidell property.

"The intersection of the Ross Island Bridge and the greenway is a chance to create something special and build a destination there," French adds.

And on a practical level, the Ross Island Bridge is much, much quieter when heard from below. As I stood along the Willamette yesterday with French, Allen and Zidell, the noise from above was nothing compared to what one hears underneath the Marquam Bridge along the Eastbank Esplanade. That means this stretch of Riverside underneath the bridge really does have the opportunity to be a place where people want to congregate and hang out.

The developers have special plans for this riverside portion of the property at the southern edge of the bridge. As we talked inside a construction trailer on the Zidell Yards lot yesterday, almost every inch of the the synthetic wood paneling was covered in pictures of different cities the team visited around the world (Copenhagen, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, two in Germany) with engaging waterfronts that let people not just overlook from above, but actually get into or at least at the foot of the water. That could mean a small beach, or a large swimming pool of enclosed riverwater, as was done for the Copenhagen Harbour Bath.

"The concept here is a great public space," Allen says. "It could be an amphitheater, baths or something else. It’s not just about being on the bank looking out at the river, but how do you get down to it? Many of the cities we visited are cold-water cities but they do a better job of getting people down to the water."

French estimates that there is room in the Zidell Yards for as many as 25 to 30 buildings. Given that size, as well as a real estate market only modestly growing today, it will take many years to build it out. As a result, the team has explored the possibility of activating vacant space with a variety of temporary options such as food carts and art installations. They're also aware of how the Pearl and South Waterfront have attracted few institutional and cultural tenants such as schools and arts spaces, which they hope to change. And the plan is to continue building sustainable, LEED-rated architecture, continuing the exemplary performance in that regard of the South Waterfront. Just building in these close-in former industrial areas, though, is the most sustainable move of all, helping to avoid sprawl.

One caveat to the story of Zidell opening up its property for development is that their barge-building facility here will stay. In fact, a new barge is set to be launched this November. So while the overwhelming majority of buildings and spaces here are shiny-new, the area will, blessedly, retain the presence of blue-collar industry. We are somewhere in the middle of a multi-generational shift in which industry's domination of big city riverfronts transitions to let the public reclaim these scenic places. Yet it needn't be a complete one-for-the-other switch. The best cities and urban spaces reveal a mix of different types of activity on the land. To have the rusty patina of the Zidell barge building facility set against the glassy new architecture here is to see a century's narrative playing out.

As Gragg's article noted, this master planning stage is the easy part: the chance to daydream about what a neighborhood could be rather than a guarantee of what it will become. After all, South Waterfront turned out somewhat differently than was originally promoted. But as we walked the Zidell Yards property in the shadow of the Ross Island Bridge, with construction cranes overhead working on the bridge, the MAX line, and the Collaborative Life Sciences project, one couldn't miss the tangible indicators that this stretch of the Willamette is suddenly entering a second phase after the years of South Waterfront's infancy.

The South Waterfront was always a kind of to-be-continued story until it went from being an island of urbanity between the river and the freeway to being part of a continuous strip of city along the Willamette - a kind of appendage to downtown. The Zidell Yards are the missing link in this puzzle, and while it may be a decade or more before this is all fulfilled, standing on this 30-acre swatch of riverside, I felt like I could see the future.

 

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Fall tours: from green homes to sinful saloons

Master-Draper Backyard Cottage (image courtesy City of Portland)

BY BRIAN LIBBY

It was an otherwise ordinary September back in 2002. President Bush was upset about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. The New England Patriots were beginning a defense of their Super Bowl win. An update to the newfangled iPod released a year earlier was just hitting Apple stores. A succession of sequels and prequels (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Men In Black) dominated the box office. And the City of Portland's "Build It Green!" Home Tour and Information Fair debuted to a Portland public increasingly hungry for practical information about how simple common-sense investments in their homes could save money and demonstrate better ecological conservation.

The self-guided tour, which features 16 homes, is scheduled from 11AM to 5PM this Saturday, September 22. Tickets are $15 ($10 for seniors, free for kids under 13). The accompanying free information fair will be held from 10AM until 2PM at Green Depot (819 SE Taylor). It's a chance to not only see these homes but to chat with homeowners, designers, do-it-yourselfers and contractors, and to learn about materials and technologies like solar panels, ecoroofs, rainwater harvesting, natural landscaping, affordable housing, water and energy conservation, natural building materials, alternative construction techniques and much more.

The "Build it Green!" roster includes several intriguing homes, and even if one doesn't actually go on the tour, perusing its website provides a nice tour of not only some well done small sustainably minded projects but also a survey of numerous small firms and practitioners who might not otherwise be recognized. It also goes to show how site selection may be the most important green design move: many of these projects are accessory dwelling units (ADUs), which help maximize density and thus limit sprawl.

There is the Master-Draper Backyard Cottage, designed by Dan Lajoie of Departure Design, which converted an existing garage into an energy-efficient art studio and compact dwelling.  Sliding doors help extends living space to a small adjacent garden, and materials include a salvaged farm sink, railings made from wine barrel railings and a mosaic bathroom designed and tiled by the owner. Its sustainable features include a tankless hot water heater and an airtight thermal envelope.

Top: Svaboda Court, Bottom: Peterson Backyard Cottage (images courtesy City of Portland)

The Peterson Backyard Cottage, designed by Studio Eccos Design, allows new lodgings for the owner of the main house providing the space, which in turn is rented out as an income source. Its features include a heat-recovery ventilation system, passive solar and radiant in-floor heating, and solar tubes for added daylight.

Svaboda Court, designed by Lundin Cole Architects, is a housing development in Southeast Portland for people making 80 percent of the median income or less. Outside the units is Portland's first shared-court design, using a vegetated swale and pervious pavement to create a common space for cars, pedestrians, community activities and stormwater drainage. Green features include a heat recovery ventilator, thermal solar hot water heaters and triple-pane windows.

The Cash-Darienzo Passive House, co-designed by Green Hammer and Communitecture, is designed according to Passive House strictures for an ultra-tight building envelope. It also showcases water conservation with a 3,000 gallon cistern for harvesting rain water, as well as a wastewater heat recovery system, solar PV array, and an ecoroof.

Top: Cash-Dirienzo House, Bottom: Cross Remodel (images courtesy City of Portland)

The Cross Accessible Remodel was designed by its owner, Larry Cross of Serendipity Dezign. A showcase for universal design (also known as barrier-free design), it is completely wheelchair accessible. As the Baby Boom generation reaches retirement age and beyond, universal design will someday be much closer to the norm, not only in individual homes but the public realm.

Another owner-designer project, and another accessory dwelling unit, is the Firpo Backyard Cottage by Susan Firpo of SL Firpo Design/Craft. Firpo sought to match the stylings of the original main house, built in 1908. Also acting as general contractor, she made the cabinetry out of leftover flooring material. A ductless mini-split heat pump provides all heating and cooling. Zero-toxity materials, many salvaged, were used in the project, which is designed to Earth Advantage and NW Energy Star specifications.

Images from the North Portland Gentrification Tour (courtesy Dill Pickle Club)

Summer and fall are the time for most homes tours. Besides "Build It Green!" there are more tours coming up in the months ahead, such as AIA/Portland's Design Matters: A Tour of Exceptional Portland Homes, scheduled for October 13 as part of the monthlong annual Architecture + Design Festival.

There is also a new series of fun educational tours offered by the nonprofit Dill Pickle Club, such as the Seedy Seamy Sinful Tour, also scheduled for this Saturday, September 22, and featuring the saloons, gambling halls and bordellos that used to make up 19th century Portland. The DPC is also featuring on October 6 the North Portland Gentrifaction Tour, charting "the rise, fall and efforts to reunite Portland’s Black neighborhoods," and on October 19 Hidden Portland: City Treasures!, hosted by Carye Bye, author of Hidden Portland: Museums & Collections.

 

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New life for Oregon Sustainability Center as Interface Engineering joins tenant/design roster

Oregon Sustainability Center (rendering courtesy GBD Architects/SERA Architects)

BY BRIAN LIBBY

For the past six months, it has looked as if the Oregon Sustainability Center would never get built. In March, the three-legged stool of funding from state, city and Portland State University was dealt a seemingly fatal blow when the gridlocked state legislature could not pass its share, some $37 million of the total $62 million price tag.

But as reported by Willamette Week and The Oregonian earlier this week, a private sector partner, Interface Engineering, has proposed locating a new headquarters there, leasing 25,000 to 30,000 square feet of space - about one third of the building. Interface is also reportedly interested in having an option to join in as partial owner.

"We think it will be a fabulous project," the firm's president, Omid Nabipoor, told Beth Slovic of The Oregonian. "It will be a hub for sustainable design in Portland." The company, which has over 100 LEED-rated buildings in its portfolio, also seeks a new name for the building: the Innovation Center.

The building would undergo some changes, both architecturally and economically, under the Interface proposal. It would be a story shorter, with a total closer to 100,000 square feet than the original plan for 130,000. Rent would be at $30 per square foot, not the $40.25 previously projected. The building's budget would be $47.4 million, slashing nearly $15 million from the last cost estimate before the state abandoned the project.

"As a private, for-profit enterprise, we asked them to go back and scale the costs down," Nabipoor told Willamette Week's Aaron Mesh. "I've always understood the concern about the high costs of a big project—that stigma. We're not the type to pay high rates for a type-A, high-class building." But ownership may be attractive, the Interface president added, because "We feel like we need to have skin in the game."

Oregon Sustainbility Center (rendering courtesy GBD Architects/SERA Architects)

According to Kyle Andersen of GBD Architects, which is co-designing the Oregon Sustainability Center with SERA Architects, there has not yet been any design work done to incorporate Interface's proposal. But, as Andersen explained in an email, "The design team did quickly look at the potential cost savings by reducing the building square footage, and making the building only six levels tall. We quickly explored the use of wood for the structure given the reduced building size. The use of regional building materials, labor and advancing technology could be a nice play with a future re-design. We looked quickly at Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) construction that are more commonly found in Europe, but could not come to any certain conclusions with the little amount of time we had. This project could be a nice catalyst to bring new technology to our region by advancing the use of regional materials and re-tooling existing fabrication facilities."

During its now multi-year gestation, the Sustainability Center has come to represent both Portland's greatest ambitions as a world capital of green design as well as the inherent challenges in a city where a lack of wealth requires a lot of highly orchestrated collaboration and partnering. Intended to be the first multi-tenant office building in the United States to meet rigid Living Building Challenge strictures by generating most all of its own power and water needs, the project could help quell skeptics who argue other cities such as New York and Chicago are leading the sustainability charge today. Yet the use of city funds (let alone state) for such a speculative, expensive venture at a time when budgets are already overstressed has also led to more than a few to express skepticism about the project. In the caustic jungle that is the OregonLive comments section, the Sustainability Center has been called everything from the smoking-gun proof of mayor Sam Adams' inherent corruption to the reason so many of our outer streets remain unpaved.

I too have been critical of the Oregon Sustainability Center in the past, mostly because of the fact that renovating an old building is the truly sustainable move. And given that there are two massive government buildings downtown on Broadway woefully under-occupied and under-utilized, the Solomon Federal Courthouse and the US Customs House, it seemed silly not to make those the source of our efforts.

But if one sets aside the argument for renovating an existing structure elsewhere instead of building the OSC from the ground up on its intended site, this story becomes a testament to Adams and other proponents of the center having the persistence to see it through.

Oregon Sustainability Center (rendering courtesy GBD Architects/SERA Architects)

Of course it's true that basic services like schools, roads, police and fire must be funded, but Portland has evolved into a relevant world city precisely because it has invested in progressive urban ventures from mass transit to parks, growth boundaries to trams. It's fashionable on the right of the political fence to argue government should operate more like a business or a family and live within its means. But no successful business would ever stop trying to grow, and few families would call investments on the installment plan like a house or their kid's college education to be inherently wasteful. It's true the Sustainability Center is an expensive investment that comes with risk, but it also has the chance to greatly enhance the already-developing economic future tied to sustainable expertise. This isn't chasing windmills in the Don Quixote sense, but in the Vestas sense: with a knowledge of how the fossil fuel-powered industrial age is transforming.

What's more, bringing on Interface as a major tenant makes sense because the private sector should have been involved substantially all along. One could almost argue that the Oregon Legislature did the OSC a favor, because private-public partnership gives the project more integrity, and insulation from accusations that this is some kind of grand conspiracy between city government and private developers.

Nothing is set in stone just yet, or in glass, metal or wood. But credit Adams for persistently seeking a private-sector savior when everybody else thought the project didn't have a prayer. As the clock on his administration ticks down to his final months, the mayor has the potential in a few ongoing public-private deals to end years of logjam at places like the Rose Quarter, Centennial Mills and the Sustainability Center. In each case, the city and other public agencies can't go it alone, but with the right private-sector kindling there is the chance to set add spark to both the short-term economy and the city's long-term visions.

 

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The Architect's Questionnaire: Deb France

Deb France (image courtesy Oh planning + design)

BY LUKE AREHART

For the past eight years, Deb France has led the Portland firm Oh planning + design, which has created a variety of health care, government and higher education projects including the Roseberg VA Medical Center, the Oregon State University Energy Center in Corvallis, and even a collaboration with national firm AECOM on Portland's Jeld-Wen Field. The firm's name is not an interjection but an acronym. "Our name represents Optimism and Health which are the key principles based in the work we do. These are especially important in uncertain times of change and economic challenges," their website explains. Before co-founding Oh with France also spent eight years at Portland firm SRG Partnership, where she directed the firm's health care projects, and before that three years at Heery International on projects like a master plan for Oregon Health & Science University.

Portland Architecture: When did you first become interested in architecture as a possible career?

Deb France: It was at a very young age like many young aspiring architects. I was around nine when I became consciously aware of being interested in architecture. I realized that there was an industry that put all of the trades and disciplines together, and I was intrigued by that and that is what I wanted so I have pursued it ever since, there was no looking back.

I was always around construction; I had a grandfather who was a carpenter and my dad was a mechanical engineer. I had the technical pieces of building construction well understood before I was a teenager; we were always building something. When I went into high school, I pursued anything that was related to design and it was usually drafting, which was as close as I could get, so I hungered for more. It has been a passion ever since.

Where did you study architecture and how would you rate the experience?

I went to two schools; I started at the University of Idaho because I had moved from California to Idaho as a teenager and it was a great school; I took away so much from that experience. I moved to Arizona after being accepted into The Design School at Arizona State University and it was a fabulous growth opportunity for me. I was able to experience Southwest architecture and its influences both environmentally and culturally. The transition from Northwest to Southwest was very significant with lessons in regionalism, vernacular style, materials and sustainability. For me, the professional benefit was tremendous.

Mt. Hood Community College Library (rendering courtesy Oh p+d)

What is your favorite building project that you’ve worked on?

That is hard to define because all projects are special to us. We have been working with Mt. Hood Community College since 2009. This is a campus that was constructed in the late 1960’s when our country was going through the boom of construction on college campuses in response to the baby boomer population. Mt hood Community College was one of many campuses built during that time and has been preserved nearly in its original form until today. The campus needs work on modernization, accessibility, seismic upgrades, and functional programming to meet modern instructional needs. The college is eager to explore possibilities and engage their community in a meaningful way that shares the needs and the vision of the future. The master planning process took about nine months in 2009-2010. We provided facility assessments and program needs analysis with campus and community stakeholder participation resulting in a campus renewal and modernization plan that can be implemented over time. Since then we have been working with the college on project implementations, preparations for funding and participating with the City of Gresham on the implementation of an institutional master plan policy, it has been wonderful.

In addition to Mt. Hood Community College, is the Oregon State University Energy Center; the Energy Center is a cogeneration power/steam plant serving the OSU campus and the first/only LEED Platinum power plant in the United States. The project saves OSU over $600,000 in annual savings. It is a really special project to us.

OSU Energy Center (image courtesy Oh p+d)

Who has been an important mentor among your colleagues?

I have worked with many great architects yet there is one person that certainly comes to mind; my mentor is Vic Lituczy. I worked with Vic when I was an intern, 2 years out of school. His expertise was in healthcare and we worked on the Port Townsend Hospital together. Vic was one of those people who stood up and put it all on the table – he did not leave opportunity to be missed or overlooked. I work well with strong personalities, and I learned much from him in both medical planning and achieving optimal solutions. In 2004 I formed Oh planning+design, architecture and Vic started working with us as a client in hospital master planning and design. I feel very fortunate to have someone in my life that was that connected with me for over 18 years before he passed; I hope I can be that kind of mentor to somebody.

What part of the job do you like best, and as an architect what do you think you most excel at?

I like it all, I really do. I get up in the morning, and I cannot wait to come into the office-it is my obsession. This year I made a renewed commitment to incorporate more fitness into my life because as a business owner and an architect I am a workaholic with little time for fitness. I would rather come in to the office and start my work day; I just can’t wait.

Aside from loving it all, I think what I excel at is early stage planning and generating ideas that are based on the clients’ strategic needs. Working with clients to assess their needs and translate them into building solutions is my strength.

What are some Portland buildings (either new or historic) that you most admire?

I have two favorite buildings in Portland, the Wells Fargo Center, which I love because it’s simple and stands up like a statue on the skyline; I think it stands out elegantly. The other building that I like is the Metropolitan Condo Building in the Pearl District. It’s more of a jewel box to me; I see both of these buildings as I drive in to work in the morning and they both make me smile.

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City (image courtesy Steven Holl Architects)

What is your favorite building outside of Portland and besides any you’ve worked on?

In 2008 I visited the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, it is a Steven Holl building which uses white opaque panels that glow from the inside out, and at night it is a beautiful glowing box in the landscape. During the day, you get the reverse effect; with ambient light coming from the outside in, and the experience inside is surreal. It creates an experience to the eye and to the body as you move through it. Steven Holl has done this on several projects, but this one is particularly amazing.

I was able to visit the Therme Vals by Peter Zumthor. The building is very narrow stone slats that are constructed so elegantly. It is ceremonial as you enter past the fountains with the smell of sulfur and stains against the stone. Once inside, there is a chamber with the various bathing experiences; such as the rose petal bath, cold water bath, hot bath, the chanting monk chamber, they are all different to the senses. At one end of the main chamber is a platform with lounge chairs to rest and contemplate. Each chair has its own window so it’s just you and the landscape.

Is there a local architect or firm you think is unheralded or deserves more credit?

I think there are many great architects in this city; Nancy Merryman and Linda Barnes (Merryman Barnes Architects) I believe have paved the way for women in this town to be owners of firms. They have done it and endured the difficult times where women were not recognized as leaders in architecture. I really looked up to them. They provided me with role models for starting my own firm. I think it would have been a lot harder for me without them as trailblazers.

Sometimes we forget to recognize that in addition to the creative direction and design principles of architecture, there is the management of project delivery. The profession is so much broader than one area of expertise. Project Managers who are skilled in managing projects, engaging with clients and consultants, leading internal teams, aligning with budgets, and delivery of construction administration are vital to a projects success. Dana Ing Crawford (THA Architecture) is one of the best and I have a tremendous amount of respect for her.

What would you like to see change about Portland’s built environment in the long term?

I’d like to see Portland be less risk adverse; collectively Portland really put a stake in the ground in terms of being great planners and conscious of how we grow and what we do. I respect what we have done here as a community. Unfortunately, it feels like we are not able to stretch very far when it comes to architectural solutions, we are conservative and it would be nice to see more innovation. We are a young vibrant city; we should be showing more innovation in design.

I’m sure there are plenty of suggestions out there for what Portland could do next. I suggest that we capture the waterfront and do something a la Millennium Park in Chicago with an amphitheater and public art on display. The waterfront is already an asset to the community and can evolve to keep the quality and nature of Portland alive. It would be exciting to see the architecture on the edges emerge with more innovation.

How would you rate the performance of local government like the Portland Development Commission, or the development and planning bureaus?

I would say A+ with them; I am having a good year with BDS, Bureau of Development Services, we have several projects that require partnering with them and have had success. Perhaps in the past, perceptions might have been that BDS was an obstacle, yet my experience has been that they are right there in the trenches working with us and wanting to make these projects successful as a team member throughout the process. I enjoy working with BDS.

I haven’t had any experiences working with PDC, I am very grateful that they have the jobs program because that helped us finance our office remodel-we have been a benefactor of that.

Would you rather live in a South Waterfront condo, a craftsman bungalow in Laurelhurst, a warehouse loft in the North Mississippi district or a mid-century ranch in the West Hills?

 What I live in now is a hundred year old Tudor in inner northeast, and I love my home. I can walk anywhere including Old Town where the office is located. I love Portland’s neighborhoods. I definitely see myself downsizing one day, but all of those options are good options. That is one of the beauties of this community are these neighborhood hubs and every hub is special in its own way.

Thermal Valls, Switzerland (image courtesy visuamobile.com)

Who is a famous architect you’d like to see design a building in Portland?

If we are going to dream, I’d say Zaha Hadid, because her works are wonderful and stretching beyond boundaries of what we see traditionally in architecture.

I would love to see Peter Zumthor do some work in this country, and Portland would be fabulous location for his work.

Local architects, I’d like to see more diversity. Portland has great talent and some of the firms have put a stake in the ground with many buildings in their name yet we have other great firms that should have an opportunity to be a part of our urban fabric.

Which would you rather be responsible for: an ugly LEED platinum building or a beautiful modernist energy hog?

I’m going to go on a limb and say I’d prefer to be responsible for a beautiful LEED building. We can accomplish both; I think the questions presumes that you are either going for beauty or energy efficiency. Why not both or better yet, a beautiful net zero building!

Name something besides architecture (sneakers, furniture, umbrellas) you love the design of.

I love gardening and landscape, I think the way the building and the earth come together is such an important part of what we do. The earth is an inspiration to me. I am also a big fan of furniture design, I’ve personally been involved in making furniture, and it is another passion of mine.

Oh la la, c'est Cher!

What are three of your all-time favorite movies?

"Moonstruck", "Antonia’s Line", "The Sound of Music".

 

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Designing an architecture school: a conversation with PSU's Clive Knights and Jeff Schnabel

Ecological Learning Plaza, Shattuck Hall (photo by Brian Libby)

BY BRIAN LIBBY

The fall term at Portland State University doesn't begin for a few weeks yet, but on a recent visit to Shattuck Hall, the architeture deparment's home, there was already a palpable energy.

As my bicycle pulled up to the renovated circa-1915 Shattuck on SW Broadway, a new plaza presented itself as the department's new front yard cum outdoor laboratory. At the Ecological Learning Plaza, planned and built by PSU Department of Architecture faculty and students over the course of the last year and intended as a green testing ground for designing and researching sustainable building materials and methods, there are currently, the two main experiments taking place. One is a mockup of a sloped green that will inform the design of the much-larger green roof being planned for the Conservation Discovery Zone at the Oregon Zoo. In an experiment funded by Metro, there are also four vertical growing systems (also known as green walls) with several different irrigation types, which will provide data about the quality and quantity of water runoff from the walls.

Moving inside, Shattuck Hall itself is an exceptional space following the red brick former elementary school's $13 million renovation in 2008 (overseen by SRG Partnership). With walls removed and hallways enlivened with a bevy of experimental furniture projects, it's a kind of enlightened hive of naturally-lit studios with a rooftop gallery, digital lab, and facilities for model-making, woodworking, metalworking and digital fabrication.

Inside Shattuck Hall (photo courtesy PSU)

After touring the building with Department of Architecture chair Clive Knights and professor Jeff Schnabel, we sat down to discuss the department's evolution over the past five years to develop its own accredited graduate architecture program. After beginning the process in 2007, the department is set to receive its third and final inspection from the National Architecture Accrediting Board (NAAB) that will give accreditation in perpetuity.

Now that PSU is a full-fledged graduate architecture program, I asked Knights and Schnabel what kind of identity they wanted it to have.

"First is that we all buy in to the idea of making," Knights explained. "Architecture has a cerebral dimension but predominantly it’s a physical act, a communication through materials: getting in the process of making something for someone else. It’s not solipsistic. It’s about offering it to a community or to an “other”. That’s a really powerful idea to practice, to find new things to say to others through the intermediary of the product. Having stuff in our hand and manipulating it with an idea in mind: if we lose touch with that, we’ve lost touch with our foundation."

A culture of making is one of three emphasis points, Knights said. The second is that the Department of Architecture must always be engaged in topics that matter to the city. Portland itself becomes a laboratory. Third is "being aware that we’re involved in a process of helping communities form and express their identity through the work that we make for them," Knights calls it. "Again, everything is for the sake of others. Students are always making within the context of Portland, and those issues are drawing a community other than ourselves."

Schnabel also emphasized PSU's identity as going deeper. "When two of our students were given internships at Nike, a really nice compliment that was paid by the recruiter: that their work had a narrative quality," he explained. "They had something to say about the work that was rooted in culture. It wasn’t just programmatic requirements. Architecture, we believe, goes beyond just a building. Something rises to the field of architecture because it connects to larger cultural ideas." 

"I’ve always maintained we don’t want to be just another school," added Knights. "What do we want to be, then?  We want to be media diverse, whereas some schools are becoming technologically obsessed. We want to remain rooted in craft and making things. That by its nature is different from other schools. We have to make sure that work gets out into the public realm. I think the identity of the school is tied to the work produced there. Making our work more publicly available is a big goal."

"To a large extent it’s already happening," Schnabel said. "We’re attracting students internationally that want to work specifically with Sergio Palleroni [who has been acclaimed for numerous projects serving under privileged people in developing nations]. They know his work and the awards he’s won, and the want to be part of that, particularly when it’s doing design for populations typically underserved by designers. We’re also attracting students interested in the intersection of architecture and urban design. They’re seeking out B.D Wortham Galvin here. I think the word is out in certain kind of key areas of our mission, and the individuals we’ve been able to bring on."

"We know who we are and who we want to be," Knights added, "and it’s important that we stay true to that."

 

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Balancing preservation and prerogative in Irvington

Bagwell residence, Irvington (photo by Fred Leeson)

BY FRED LEESON

Chances are good that David Bagwell didn’t anticipate the path awaiting him as he started working with a designer on plans for a two-story addition to the rear of his 1926 Dutch Colonial home in Irvington. In the end, he found himself involved in what may be a precedent-setting case for additions to residences in some other neighborhoods, as well.

Because his house sits in the nearly two-year old Irvington National Historic District, Bagwell’s plans required a historic design review by the Portland’s Bureau of Development Services.

“We worked with the city,” which approved his plan, “and we think the city is correct,” Bagwell testified before the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission this week. But the Irvington Community Association filed an appeal, contending that the city staff crafted an approval criteria that doesn’t exist in the city code.

In its written decision, the city ruled that Bagwell’s plan was acceptable because it was mostly not visible from the front of the house. Since the house itself was not a designated landmark – only a contributing element to the neighborhood historic district – the city concluded that the impact on the district, rather than the house, was the determining factor.

The city staff reached its conclusion because it believed the district was created under federal rules “based solely on an evaluation of its historical character conducted from the public right-of-way,” according to the city ruling.

Members of Irvington’s land use and historic preservation committees begged to differ. Jim Heuer, one of the preservationists who helped create the district, said photographs from the public rights-of-way were only part of the nomination material, along with “complete aesthetic statements that included more than the front.” He also noted that part of the historic district “experience” would be views of the rear of the house by people who lived nearby.

“We have to allow a certain amount of alterations,” he noted. “This is not a museum district.” But he thought the proposed 600-square foot addition was too large and too incompatible with the rest of the 1840-square foot residence. Rather than use the “drive-by” criteria, Dean Gisvold, chair of the neighborhood land-use committee, said the city should be evaluating additions to historic properties using a “hierarchy of compatibility” standard included in the city zoning code for municipally-designated landmarks and historic districts.

Under that guideline, additions are to be evaluated for compatibility with the “original resource,” then with adjacent properties and with the rest of the district. “If the interpretation of criteria is wrong, then the decision based on it is also faulty,” Gisvold testified.

After considerable discussion, the landmarks commission reached a consensus that a contributing element of a national historic district should be considered the original resource, not the entire district. This approach gives the city more discretion in judging the merits of a rear addition even it is invisible from the sidewalk. Tim Heron, director of the BDS planning staff, said the ambiguity in the city code could be remedied in a future revision.

And what of Bagwell’s planned addition? To the untrained ear, the debate over the “resource” to be considered must have seemed dense and perplexing. “It just seems to me that we have a matter of opinions” about the design of his addition, he said.

The landmarks commission seemed comfortable with the scale and massing of the proposal, but offered some suggestions about more historically-compatible window locations. Bagwell and designer Don Rouzie said they would work with the city staff and present a revised plan next month.

In the end, the homeowner is likely to win approval. And, until some future code revision clarifies the standing of individual contributing buildings in national historic districts, the city planning staff wins a better understanding of how to manage similar applications in the future.

Fred Leeson is board president of the Bosco-Milligan Foundation and its Architectural Heritage Center in Portland.

 

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