NW Vista Avenue, early 20th century (Architectural Heritage Center)
BY BRIAN LIBBY
Portland Industry Forum
Presented by the Portland chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute, the Portland Industry Forum is attended by hundreds of designers, engineers, contractors, product representatives and project owners, providing the design and construction community an annual informative and stimulating look at what’s new and innovative in the industry. The keynote speaker this year is nationally-renowned architect Michael Rotondi of Los Angeles-based RoTo Architects. Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Avenue, Grand Ballroom. 3PM Thursday, March 16. $25.
My Paradise: A Hundred Years of Finnish Architects’ Summer Homes
A photographic exhibit of Finnish summer villas (mökki) built by renowned Finnish architects including Eliel Saarinen, Alvar Aalto, Oiva Kallio, and Mikko Pulkkinen. The summer house holds a special place in the Finnish culture. It is a place of relaxation and quiet retreat to nature. It is also a place where architects either further develop new ideas or crystallize essential themes from their other designs. Their own summer houses are very personal – they are like diary entries. The seeds of these ideas and past memories are paralleled in this exhibition. "My Paradise: A Hundred Years of Finnish Architects’ Summer Homes" consists of new photographs by photographer Jari Jetsonen and historical photographs from museums and collections of private architects, as well as Alvar Aalto’s Journey to the Summer, a film by Anssi Blomstedt. Nordia House, 8800 SW Oleson Road. Exhibit opens with an opening reception, 6:30PM Thursday, March 16 and runs through June 14. Free.
Portland Heights and Vista Avenue Tour
This Architectural Heritage Center tour explores Portland Heights, a mostly residential Southwest Portland neighborhood with Vista Avenue running through its center. It was once a very difficult area to build in, or even get to, before it became a popular residential district, as transportation options increased in Portland during the late 19th century. Today the mixture of homes, ranging in style from Colonial Revival to Art Deco, is a veritable “who’s who” of Portland architects and their masterworks. Attendees will see homes designed by the likes of A.E. Doyle, Emil Schacht, Edgar Lazarus, and Morris Whitehouse. Tour meetup location to be announced. 10AM Saturday, March 18. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
Historic Ladd's Addition Walking Tour
The historic Ladd's Addition neighborhood is known for its "X in a box" street grid and fabulous Arts and Crafts houses. This is Portland's first Historic Conservation District and in many ways represents the Portland standard for a pedestrian and bike-friendly neighborhood with tree-lined streets, parks, churches and a neighborhood school. Within easy walking distance are some of Southeast Portland's most popular shops, restaurants and brew pubs. This easy-paced Positively Portland walking tour will highlight the well-preserved fabric of historic buildings that make this neighborhood one of the most livable in Portland. Tour begins at Palio Dessert and Coffee House, 1996 SE Ladd Avenue. 1PM Saturday, March 18. $15.
Hidden Alphabet District Walking Tour
Most people experience this historic neighborhood, also know locally as Nob Hill, strolling down 23rd or 21st Avenue, enjoying the high-density chic that this area is known for. On this Positively Portland walking tour attendees will join guide Eric Wheeler to look at some of the less known historic architectural landmarks of this area, including several landmark churches, residences, apartment buildings and even a park that define the more lightly trafficked corners of this historic NW Portland neighborhood. Tour begins at Parish of St Mark, 1025 NW 21st Avenue. 1PM Sunday, March 19. $15.
Classical Downtown Portland Tour
Downtown Portland contains an extensive collection of classically influenced buildings, many of which are clad with glazed terra cotta, a building material that was at its height of popularity in the early 20th century. You’ll see the city’s first “skyscraper”, a bank that could have been a Greek temple and you’ll learn about several architects from this period who left an indelible impression on Portland including A.E. Doyle, the firm of Whidden and Lewis, and the Reid Brothers from San Francisco. Tour meetup location to be announced. 10AM Tuesday, March 21. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
Changes in Residential Structure in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area
Professor Tomoko Kubo, a professor of geography at Gifu University in Japan focused on housing markets, will lecture at the Institute on Aging on how the Tokyo Metropolitan Area's architectural makeup has changed over time, particularly residentially, as the population rapidly ages. Portland State University Urban Center, 506 SW Mill Street, Room 311. 3:30PM Tuesday, March 21. Free.
InProcess: Thomas Robinson, Andy Powell
In Process is an AIA Portland quarterly lecture series providing insight into the creative process of local architects, designers, makers and creators. This addition features Thomas Robinson, founder of Lever Architecture and formerly with noted firms such as Allied Works and Herzog & DeMeuron, as well as Andy Powell of Superfab, a firm gaining notoriety for its custom digital fabrication. Although the AIA provided no clues to the conversation topic, one assumes it may have to do with the material associated with both firms: wood. Lever has become an innovator in the new generation of timber-framed buildings, and Superfab is part of a new generation of designer-fabricators who are reinventing interior architecture with custom designs. AIA Portland, 403 NW 11th Avenue. 5:30PM Tuesday, March 21. Free.
Lessons Learned: Pointers from the POD Pros
What have we learned from the POD Initiative by Portland State University's Center for Public Interest Design and collaborators to build micro-housing for the homeless? What worked and what didn't? Participants in Partners on Dwelling's inaugural project will come together at the latest Architects Without Borders open meeting to share experiences from both the design and construction phases of their work. Each team in attendance will describe key ideas, lessons, and details important to future efforts, and respond to a brief team-by-team Q&A. AIA Center for Architecture,403 NW 11th Avenue. 6PM Wednesday, March 22. Free.
Office Romance: The Workplace Design Revolution
From boosting productivity to fostering creative collaboration, the best new workspaces prove that good design is good business. Whether it’s a coworking space attracting discerning solopreneurs and startups or large companies competing for talent, office design is a fast-growing, fascinating frontier of the industry. In this productivity-hacking talk hosted by Gray Magazine, attendees will hear from top workplace strategists sharing new ways to think about the way we work and live. Panelists will include Kristen Becker of Seattle's Mutuus Studio, Joel Fariss from Gensler's Seattle office, Hacker Architects' Jennifer Fowler, Don King of Seattle's Catalyst Workplace Activation, and Bora's Sarah Webber. Hotel Lucia, 400 SW Broadway. 5:30PM Thursday, March 23. $15.
The Intersection of Historic Preservation and Collective Memory: Three Portland Case Studies
The National Historic Preservation Act was passed in the 1960s amidst a wave of progressive environmental and Civil Rights legislation. Yet the power of historic preservation to mold the future, and even to act as a tool for social justice, is not widely acknowledged today. This Architectural Heritage Center presentation will examine three local case studies in preservation: a contrast of the original Multnomah County poor farm and its second incarnation in Troutdale; the Old Town, Chinatown and Japantown historic districts; and the former Oriental theater in Portland. Each of these cases took a different path with regard to preservation, and each has different implications for the city's collective memory. Architectural Heritage Center, 701 SE Grand Avenue. 6:30PM Thursday, March 23. Free ($5 suggested donation).
Old Town/Chinatown Walking Tour
On this Positively Portland walking tour, attendees can discover the history and architecture of Portland's first commercial district, where over 100 years ago ocean-going ships delivered their passengers and goods in this thriving port city . The tour will also feature Old Town's "Blazing Center" which hasn't changed much since the days it was originally filled with brothels, bars and gambling houses, and survivors of the cast-iron era of architecture, as well as a look at Portland's Chinatown as well as restored landmarks like the US Custom House and the Society Hotel. Like many neighborhoods in Portland, this district is changing with the times and those changes involve the re-purposing of many underutilized buildings. Tour begins at AIA Portland Center For Architecture, 403 NW 11th Avenue. 1PM Friday, March 24. $15.
Design Museum Portland: Spring Celebration
The public is invited to celebrate the impact design as leaders from Design Museum Portland share upcoming programs for 2017 over complimentary beer, wine and pizza. 237 NE Broadway, Suite 300. 6:30PM Friday, March 24. Free (registration encouraged).
Alvar Aalto and the Library at Mt. Angel Abbey
A singular building stands above the plains of the Willamette Valley. The library at Mt. Angel Abbey is one of only two architectural works in the United States designed by internationally renowned Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, one of the great architects of the 20th century. His unique responses to modernism critiqued the ideologies of the Bauhaus movement, reflecting his native culture: a nation of forests, rocks and an individualistic ideology, while also recognizing the role of history. In this Architectural Heritage Center lecture, Bob Hermanson will discuss Aalto, his designs for the Mt. Angel Abbey library, and the people that influenced his work, from mentor Gunnar Asplund to the Enlightenment and French architect Étienne-Louis Boullée. Attendees will also learn about Aalto’s philosophy regarding light, and nature itself, and how this philosophy played a role in his designs. Architectural Heritage Center, 701 SE Grand Avenue. 10AM Saturday, March 25. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
Merchants and Markets: Portland’s Historic Yamhill District Tour
Exploring the heart of Portland’s late-nineteenth century commercial district, this Architectural Heritage Center tour visits the Yamhill Historic District and nearby historic buildings of SW Second and Third avenues. The route is packed with the names of prominent city pioneers who made their mark as merchants, developers and architects as well as providing some of the city’s finest examples of cast iron, Richardsonian Romanesque and Classical buildings. Attendees will visit the Willamette’s first bridge, the first public market, and Portland's first Chinatown. Tour meetup location to be announced. 10AM Tuesday, March 28. $20 ($12 for AHC members).
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Posted by: Comfort Keepers | March 17, 2017 at 09:55 PM