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Current seismic codes require public buildings to be built strong enough so they don’t fall down in a quake. Now, some emergency preparedness advocates want to raise the bar. Not only should essential buildings resist collapse in a strong earthquake, but also newly constructed schools, in particular, should be built so in the immediate aftermath they can be counted on to serve as relief centers. — Oregon Capital Chronicle
The article mentions the AIA Oregon chapter’s efforts to push lawmakers towards adopting more stringent building codes in preparation for a cataclysmic 9.0 Cascadia earthquake. Some relatively cheaper proactive measures, such as tsunami towers, are being enacted, but the 1,000 or so schools... View full entry
Snøhetta has unveiled a master plan to revitalize Willamette Falls in Oregon City. The second largest waterfall in the United States by volume, the site has been obscured by infrastructure for over a century, with Snøhetta’s plan centered on making the area more publicly accessible. Image... View full entry
Construction is underway for the expansion of Portland International Airport. As we reported last year, the ZGF-designed expansion will include a roof formed of 2.5 million feet of timber. New images of the scheme by roof installers Mammoet show components for the timber roof being moved into... View full entry
Preconstruction work is underway on the largest dam removal and river restoration project in U.S. history. The $450 million project will take out four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River in Oregon and California to restore habitat and passage for migrating fish.
Removal work will begin this summer, starting with Copco 2, which should be gone by this fall, according to ABC 12. The other three dams — Copco 1, the Iron Gate Dam and the JC Boyle Dam — will be removed by the end of 2024.
— Construction Dive
The projects were approved late last fall in the interest of protecting the local salmon population and other wildlife in the region. Local tribes will plant 19 billion seeds in the wake of the removals in order to boost the region's ecosystems, according to local public radio. The removals... View full entry
As we enter Women's History Month today we begin to highlight some of the work produced by female-led firms, to complement our existing stories and profiles. Pioneering women in the profession continue to make their mark and shift our industry into a more inclusive direction. When you look... View full entry
Following last week’s visit to Los Angeles-based LAUN, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to Portland, OR this week to meet self-described “band of makers” Skylab Architecture. Since its founding two decades ago, the firm has grown into a 30-strong team of architects and... View full entry
The University of Oregon has been awarded more than $16 million in federal funds as part of a grant to the Oregon Mass Timber Coalition from the Build Back Better Regional Challenge. A total of $41.4 million was awarded to the coalition by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic... View full entry
If you are looking for architectural job opportunities in the Pacific Northwest region — and Portland, Oregon in particular — don't miss this week's curated employment highlight from Archinect Jobs with a selection of current openings for architects, interior designers, urban... View full entry
Construction has commenced on the ZGF-designed expansion of Portland International (PDX) Airport. The defining feature of the main terminal project, set to be completed in 2025, is a new lattice roof formed by 2.5 million feet of timber. Image courtesy of ZGF Architects The scheme was conceived... View full entry
Portland-based Skylab Architecture has shared new photos of its recently-completed signature office building dedicated to an American tennis legend (and design aficionado) and located at Nike’s World Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. The more-than-one-million-square-foot Serena Williams... View full entry
When it premiered last fall, LEVER’s new building for the Adidas North American Headquarters in Oregon was talked about as a potential game-changer for an industry still struggling to find answers about the future of workplace design. Celebrated as one of the most inspiring corporate office... View full entry
A Portland house with a provenance like no other is for sale. The revolutionary dwelling was designed 82 years ago by modernist architect Richard Neutra for lily hybridizer Jan de Graaff and his wife, Peggy, heir to the Macy’s department store owner who died on the Titanic. — Oregon Live
The home, originally constructed in 1941, is located at 1901 South Comus Street. It was listed on Thursday, May 19th through Oregon-based real estate company The Hasson Company with an asking price of $3,750,000. The three-level residence is celebrated for its embodiment of Neutra’s... View full entry
What do the Centre Pompidou and the Bauhaus have in common? Beyond their seismic impact on the architectural discourse of the 20th and 21st centuries, both in fact served as inspiration for versions of Nike Air Max sneakers. In 2019, the global sports retailer debuted the Air Max 270 React, whose... View full entry
Portland, Oregon-based design firm LEVER Architecture has been selected to design a new space for Portland State University’s School of Art + Design. LEVER was selected from a group of 11 firms competing for the project. The multiple-award-winning firm, which was recently named the Jury’s... View full entry
“The fact of the matter is that if a tsunami occurs tomorrow, we are going to lose all of our children,” said Andrew Kelly, the superintendent of the North Beach School District, which includes Ocean Shores. Mr. Kelly is one of a growing number of local officials who are calling for a network of elevated buildings and platforms along the Northwest coast that could provide an escape for thousands of people who might otherwise be doomed in the event of a tsunami. — The New York Times
Voters in the Washington state community of Ocean Shores will decide today on a measure that would install a pair of tsunami towers that can hold up to 800 people. Residents in the immediate shoreline region would have only ten minutes to escape potentially 100-foot waves propelled by a quake... View full entry