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A new mass timber building at the University of Oregon‘s Portland campus aims to train a new workforce and advance a new model of childcare.

The two-story, 54,000-square-foot will replace four outdated buildings at the UO Portland campus, 2800 N.E. Liberty St.

The new building will house the Ballmer Institute and Prevention Science Institute.

鈥淭he mission of the building is one of the main inspirations for the project,鈥� said Braulio Baptista, design partner at ZGF Architects. 鈥淚t’s humbling to be part of the design of a project that will carry out such important work.鈥�

The building, currently under construction, replaces four recently demolished buildings totaling 44,000 square feet.

According to the university, Elizabeth and Weber halls were used as student housing when Concordia operated the campus before UO purchased it in 2022. The adjoining building, Mary Neils, served as administrative office space. The fourth building was a vacant, single-family house.

The UO Portland project was designed by ZGF Architects. The project team also includes civil engineer CAPITAL Engineering & Consulting LLC, structural engineer KPFF, mechanical engineer PAE, landscape architect Walker Macy and general contractor Skanska.

Launched in 2022 through a lead gift from Connie and Steve Ballmer, the Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health includes a training program that equips students with the skills to identify behavioral health challenges early and implement interventions that prevent issues from escalating.

The facility will allow the UO to enroll up to 300 students annually in their final two years of the program, according to a UO press release.

The three components of the programming are education, research and clinical training. With the new building, the Ballmer Institute and the Prevention Science Institute will have their first identifiable physical location, Baptista said. The Ballmer Institute has previously been operating in a variety of buildings throughout the Portland campus and nearby since its launch in 2022.

The inclusive design will include welcoming spaces for children and families to access free behavioral health services, modernized classrooms and instructional spaces, a behavioral health clinic and a telehealth center to deliver services to youth in underserved and rural communities across the state. The design will include elements of biophilia 鈥� design centered on natural element, including plants 鈥� and plenty of daylight.

Baptista said it was important to find a balance between institutional and familial elements in the design.

鈥淚t will be a mass timber building, which we’re very excited about,鈥� Baptista said, adding that it will be the first new mass timber building on the campus. 鈥淭he interior of the building will leverage as much of the mass timber as possible to add warmth.鈥�

The exterior materials are primarily metal with custom corrugation. Baptista said the metal emulates the reddish stones of the brick building elsewhere on the campus.

The main organization of the building creates a central space, called the student hub.

鈥淲e have research, education and clinical spaces that sort of pinwheel around the central space, creating a very clearly demarcated heart to the building where everybody comes together,鈥� Baptista said.

From that space, students can go into classrooms or research wings.

Baptista said privacy is an important consideration in a building like this, particularly in the training clinic and research areas. There were strict requirements for sound isolation between rooms, from intervention rooms to telehealth spaces.

Baptista said the building’s location was chosen from the master plan, which ZGF helped with, that will create the fourth defining edge to the central quad of the campus. Baptista said it will be kitty-corner from the library, which currently acts as a center piece of the campus.

Landscaping includes a sensory garden and other areas of respite.

The project is expected to cost $83 million. Funding includes $53 million from the state, a $15 million lead gift by the Tykeson Family Foundation and additional gifts of $5 million from other donors, according to the UO.

Construction broke ground June 11 and is expected to be complete in early 2029.

On the Boards is a 91视频 feature offering a look at projects in Oregon and Southwest Washington being tackled by local architecture firms. To have your firm’s projects considered, contact 91视频 reporter Hilary Dorsey at [email protected].