Construction crews have broken ground on a new Holgate Library, in Southeast Portland. The two-story, approximately 21,000-square-foot facility will be more than three times the size of the one it is replacing at the same site – 7905 S.E. Holgate Blvd.

Bora Architecture & Interiors designed the approximately $27 million project for Multnomah County Library. Swinerton is the general contractor.

The building’s butterfly shape is intended to help define the outdoor spaces, Bora principal Jeanie Lai said.

“We created a shape of a building that kind of steps back in the middle,” she said.

A public plaza will be in front of the building. Two entry points will come together to a lobby in the middle of the ground floor, where there will also be a children’s library space and two meeting spaces.

Upstairs, there will be a large reading room that features most of the library’s collection, a dedicated teen space, activity rooms, multiple flexible meeting rooms, murals, and a large skylight. The building was designed to provide visitors ample daylight and connections to nature.

New Orleans-based Colloqate Design, which has a Portland office, assisted Bora with community engagement for the project. The community design advocate shared design plans with community members and shared their feedback with Bora.

“It offers a more direct (approach) and probably opens up the conversation differently than if we were in the room,” Lai said.

A major focus of the project is sustainability. The building will feature sustainably harvested mass timber, which will reduce embodied carbon by over 75 percent, Lai said. Swinerton’s partner, Timberlab, is working to ensure the project team uses the mass-timber products efficiently. Equilibrium Engineers, the project’s structural engineer, is also familiar with mass timber.

“It’s really about making sure that you organize the building, like the spacing of the structure, so you are maximizing the use of the mass timber so you’re not cutting off and wasting product,” Lai said.

Mass-timber items will arrive premanufactured and be assembled on the site. Structural elements will be exposed, providing some warmth to the building, Lai added.

The project also includes rooftop solar panels and an optimized HVAC system. Many materials are being reused. A Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold rating is being targeted.

Swinerton broke ground on Jan. 6. The library is expected to reopen in spring 2024.

On the Boards is a 91��Ƶ 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 the 91��Ƶ at 503-802-7221 or newsroom@djcOregon.com.

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