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Sofia Urbina told the Make-A-Wish Foundation she wanted a place where she could do her art. Her family had recently stayed in a yurt at the coast, and Sofia loved the roundness of the space and the intimacy it provided.

So she told Make-A-Wish she wanted an 鈥渁rt yurt.鈥�

鈥淔irst thing, I was like, OK, what’s an art yurt?鈥� said Jake Sly, R&H Construction vice president of preconstruction.

Sly on Friday helped oversee construction of the 12-foot-high structure in the Urbina family’s backyard in Southwest Portland. He was aided by approximately a dozen R&H staffers from various divisions.

Sofia, 7, has Batten disease, a rare genetic disorder that slowly is taking her mobility and vision. Children with it typically don’t live into their 20s. The Urbina family learned she had it a year and a half ago, when she started struggling to see the board in class.

Despite this, Sofia is described as bright, dynamic and often 鈥渁mazing鈥� by her mother, Marlo Urbina. Sofia loves her friends, and she and her twin brother, Max, clown around almost constantly. Their house is the one on the block where the kids gather after school. Attractions include a zip line, climbable trees and bunnies.

Sofia has a specific, imaginative outlook 鈥� certain things should be certain colors, trees should have faces 鈥� and around her backyard, they do.

鈥淭he girl loves to do art, everywhere, all the time, nonstop,鈥� Marlo Urbina said. 鈥淎nd the thing she hates the most is having to put away her art.鈥�

When Make-A-Wish representatives first met with Sofia, she was more interested in drawing in the backyard. But she drew for them what her wish looked like 鈥� a place where she and her friends and her brother could have fun and make art. It would be outdoors, in the round. No grown-ups allowed.

Enter R&H, to help fulfill a fourth Make-A-Wish dream. By this point, the projects are so popular around the office that not everyone who wants to participate gets to do so. Smaller groups are sometimes more productive, Sly pointed out.

Other businesses contributed to the project. Pacific Yurts sold the wood and canvas structure at a discount. Cascadian Landscapers donated the paver materials. Wood Mechanix supplied lumber for the platform. DeBenedetto’s Commercial Flooring donated the carpet, and McDonald & Wetle provided insulation for the decking.

Sly and a few others over two weeks spent some of their off-hours prepping the site. Then the yurt, paver, landscaping and everything else went up in one day. The mood in the backyard on Friday was lively and positive. Marlo Urbina took the day off from work and brought out coffee and cookies. Sofia’s dad, Joe Urbina, stopped by from nearby Portland Community College-Sylvania, where he and Marlo work. A neighbor drove by and asked about donating art supplies. Another told some workers, 鈥淲e love you guys.鈥�

Then on Saturday, Make-A-Wish officials unveiled the yurt with about 40 friends and neighbors in attendance. They led Sofia out in a blindfold, and when they removed it, her face lit up. The yurt was more than the family had envisioned. It’s weatherproof and well-insulated, and lets in lots of natural light. An overhead window provides views of the stars. The yurt is even wheelchair-accessible, though Sofia doesn’t need a wheelchair yet.

鈥淭he idea is that we’re bringing all the inside activities outside, so she can have her own sanctuary,鈥� Sly said. 鈥淚 was told all of her friends are really excited to come and enjoy this special space.鈥�

Make-A-Wish often arranges meetings between children and their heroes, or sends them on dream vacations. Sofia’s wish will last much longer and be shared with her friends. They’ve already learned from Sofia compassion and patience, Marlo Urbina said. And they’ve learned how to be with someone battling physical challenges outside her control.

The yurt will also be there for Max. Living with his sister as she fights this disease has perhaps helped him mature more than most kids his age, Marlo Urbina said.

鈥淚t’s kind of my wish as a parent that the two of them can share this space together and just be brother and sister and make great memories, because they’re going to be really important to Max,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think of this project as being really important for him. This is his inheritance. He gets to remember these years with her.鈥�