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Portland’s newest architecture firm, BRIC Architecture, wants to stand out. It’s already off to a start unlike many others.

鈥淓very situation is unique and this one certainly is,鈥� said聽Dan Hess, BRIC Architecture principal and architect.

Hess and fellow principals聽Karina Ruiz and聽Amy Friendy, all partners in the firm, recently left DOWA-IBI Group to strike out on their own. They opened the doors to BRIC Architecture on聽Oct. 1聽and by the end of the month had a staff of 25 鈥� mostly people they had worked with at DOWA-IBI Group.

The firm plans to focus largely on designing structures for educational organizations, much like what the three partners spent more than 20 years doing at DOWA-IBI Group.

鈥淲e want to create a mission and vision that is uniquely ours,鈥� Ruiz said. 鈥淥ur staff shares a passion for designing educational learning spaces.鈥�

The partners’ decision sparked a lawsuit from their former employer regarding trademark infringement and breach of contract. After originally trying to register the name Dowa Architecture Inc. with the state of Oregon, the partners settled on BRIC Architecture.

Neither the partners nor DOWA-IBI Group would talk about the specifics of the pending legal litigation.

鈥淲e did initiate legal action,鈥� DOWA-IBI Group Global Education Lead聽Rachel DeWitt said. 鈥淲e believe they are in breach of (contractual) obligation.鈥�

The sudden departures have presented challenges, she said, adding that the 22-person Portland office is moving on. Principals Jim Fitzpatrick, Bill Conboy and Rebecca Grant were promoted to take over for the three who left.

鈥淚t’s still business as usual,鈥� DeWitt said. 鈥淭urnover occurs. We are still operating.鈥�

DOWA-IBI Group’s Portland office website was scrubbed free of content from those who left. Now the home page touts 鈥淎 new DOWA-IBI Group is coming soon. Stay tuned!鈥�

鈥淲e are coming out with a聽new website,鈥� DeWitt said. 鈥淚t will have a redesign. We are using this opportunity to showcase work in a different way.鈥�

Meanwhile, BRIC Architecture is encountering its own challenges. The partners had to find a new office, hire a staff and come up with a new name.

鈥淲e are BRIC Architecture Inc.,鈥� Ruiz said. 鈥淚t stands for Building Relationships, Inspiring Communities. That is the foundation of our work. We were intentional in that our (firm) name wasn’t a combination of our names because we knew it was about more than the three of us.鈥�

The personnel changes forced some school district clients of DOWA-IBI Group to make some decisions. School districts are free to work with BRIC Architecture if they choose to, according to the three partners.

鈥淓ach district makes their own decision as to how they want to proceed,鈥� Ruiz said. 鈥淭here have been school districts that have taken board actions that allowed them to enter in negotiations with (BRIC Architecture), and they have done that.鈥�

So far, Sherwood, Seaside and North Clackamas school districts have expressed interest in working with the new company, according to Ruiz.

BRIC Architecture has consulted with Oregon City on a bond planning project and is working on a master plan and educational specifications for Salem-Keizer Public Schools.

鈥淲e haven’t heard anything negative associated with our choice,鈥� Ruiz said. 鈥淲e really went into this with highest priority to provide the highest level of service to our clients both through the transition and beyond. We have had incredible support not just from clients but the architecture community as a whole.鈥�

Meanwhile, DOWA-IBI Group is scrambling to retain clients.

鈥淥bviously we are committed to providing the best service,鈥� DeWitt said. 鈥淲e spoke to all of our clients. We just work alongside our clients and chase work. This is an opportunity to (prove) ourselves again.鈥�

Market conditions helped spur Hess, Ruiz and Friendy to start their firm now.

鈥淭he K-12 market was still pretty good, so that was part of the thought,鈥� Hess said. 鈥淭here is work out there. Taking a risk 鈥� now is a good time to do it.鈥�

The chance for the partners to build their own firm with its own culture also helped motivate them.

鈥淔or me, personally, what I want this firm to be about is to create an atmosphere where people love the work that they are doing,鈥� Friendy said. 鈥淭hey care tremendously about the people they are working with and they care about the community. That, to me, is the essence of what this firm represents.鈥�

Also, Ruiz recognizes that she and Friendy will have a unique professional opportunity.

鈥淭here is the challenge in terms of perception of women in leadership in the industry,鈥� Ruiz said. 鈥淚 like being able to model for women and men that it doesn’t matter who you are; what matters is what you bring to the table.鈥�