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Dundon-Berchtold Hall
Submitting Company: Soderstrom Architects

Location: Portland
Cost: $36 million
Start Date: February 2017
Completion Date: July 2019
Owner/Developer: University of Portland
Architect: Soderstrom Architects
Engineer: Interface Engineering
Engineering Firm: KPFF
Additional Engineering Firm: KPFF
General Contractor: Fortis Construction
Subcontractors: American Direct Procurement, Anderson Roofing, B&B Tile and Masonry, Brandsen Hardwood Floors, Brix Paving Northwest, Building Material Specialties, CC&L Roofing, Cache Valley Electric, Cascade Acoustics, Crossfire Sprinkler, DLM Inc. dba Architextures, Gelco Construction, Gibson Door & Millwork, Irwin Seating, Iris Window Coverings N.W., Legend Custom Woodworking, Lumichron Inc., Moore Excavation dba MEI Group, Morrow-Meadows Corp. dba Cherry City Electric, PBS Supply, Piper Mechanical, PLI Systems, Portland Coatings, QED Lab, Robert A.M. Stern Architects, Sawtooth Caulking, Schonert & Associates, Specialty Metal Fabricators, Superior Contracting II dba Insulpro Projects, Supreme Steel, T. Gerding Construction Co. dba TGC Structural, ThyssenKrupp Elevator, Town Inc. dba South Town Glass, TT&L Sheet Metal, Versatile Wood Products, WH Cress

When the University of Portland decided to build the first classroom facility on its campus since the 1990s, they really wanted to make a statement.
So, Portland鈥檚 Soderstrom Architects, the firm of record, and the renowned New York City firm of Robert A.M. Stern Architects, collaborated to make it happen. The result is this year鈥檚 Top Projects winner in the secondary education category.

Located at the heart of the campus adjacent to the historic 1891 Waldschmidt Hall, the new Dundon-Berchtold Hall is an ode to both past and present. Drawn up in the classic Collegiate Gothic style reminiscent of early 20th century university buildings across the United States, the 64,345-square-foot hall hosts three stories of classrooms, faculty offices, student support space, and an auditorium that features a plasma display. The auditorium is dedicated to Brian Doyle, a celebrated author and longtime editor of Portland, the university鈥檚 alumni magazine, who died last year.

On the outside, a 58-foot-tall tower dominates the entrance, while locally sourced brick masonry dominates the aesthetic along with accents of Indiana limestone, copper, and a tile roof.

鈥淭he university leadership, in discussing it with their donors, really wanted a building at the heart of the campus to be sympathetic to the other traditional buildings nearby,鈥� said Andrew Burke, a principal with Soderstrom Architects. 鈥淪o, that was the initial design direction.鈥�

Classrooms are designed with several different sizes and configurations, while the auditorium seats up to 146 persons and can host different types of events from lectures to performances. The building also is home to the new Dundon-Berchtold Ethics Study Center and Career Services, named after the primary donors to the project.

鈥淲ith the addition of new classroom space and classroom styles, I think faculty will be excited about teaching in that space,鈥� said Jim Ravelli, vice president of operations for the university. 鈥淲e think the students will be excited about taking classes there.鈥�

They have reason to be excited.

鈥淭he more interesting thing is that we were able to put state-of-art technology, in terms of usability, in this container, if you will,鈥� Burke said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not like those are 100-year-old classrooms in that building. They have all the latest functionality.鈥�

The project broke ground in February 2017, and was completed by July 2019. It would be in full use today, were it not for the Covid-19 pandemic.

Nonetheless, that day will arrive at some point in the future, and when it does, students will have access to a mixture of traditional design and the most up-to-date amenities.

With student enrollment up more than 30 percent over the past decade, the new space is sorely needed.

鈥淭hey were scheduling classes from dawn to past dark,鈥� Burke said. 鈥淭hey needed classrooms they didn鈥檛 have, and this allows them to have a lot more flexibility and normality for students and faculty alike.鈥�