Project name: hayu alqi uyxat

Location: Portland

Completion: August 2024

Size: 85,000

Cost: $67 million

Owner/Developer: Portland Public Schools

Owner’s Representative: Turner & Townsend Heery

Architect: Bassetti Architects

Interior Designer: Bassetti Architects

Engineers: KPFF, Vega Civil Engineering, Arris Consulting

General Contractor: Andersen Construction

Submitting Company: Bassetti Architects

Other Associates/Key Consultants: Adams Consulting and Estimating, Construction Focus, JBK Consulting & Design, Mayer Reed, Samata Consulting Engineers, TFWB Engineers, The Greenbusch Group

Subcontractors: Affordable Electric, All Trades General Contractors, Alliant Systems, American Heating, Amodeo Structural Engineering, AT Publix, B & T Striping and Curbing, Carr Construction, CHI Companies WA, Chown Hardware, Convergent Pacific, Coria Landscape, Curtis Restaurant Equipment, Custom Designed Skylights, Dallas Glass, Elmer’s Flag and Banner, ELTEC Systems, Floor Factors, Griffith Roofing, H2I Group, Interior Technology, Kelar Pacific, Kent Crane, Konell Construction & Demolition, Kraft Masonry, Linden Comansa America, McKinstry, Merit Contractor of Oregon, Mt. Hood Window Coverings, Multivista, Ness & Campbell Crane, Nor-Pac Seating, Northwest Precast, Northwest Scaffold Service, Northwest Waterproofing, Overhead Door Co. of Portland, Pacific Foundation, Pacific Stair, PBS Supply, Professional Lath and Plaster, Pure Floors, Rich’s Tree Service, Roedel Tile Contracting, Safeguard Security, Standard TV & Appliance, T & T Contractors, Teufel Nursery, Town & Country Fence Co. of Oregon, Vaagen Timber, Valar Consulting Engineering, Vibetech Specialties, Viking Automatic Sprinkler – Oregon, Waypoint Sign, Western Partitions, Wildwood Playgrounds NW, Willliamsen and Bleid

A groundbreaking educational facility is transforming how Portland Public Schools serves students who thrive outside traditional classroom settings.

The hayu alqi uyxat facility – Chinook wawa for “Many Future Paths” – has brought multiple alternative education programs under one roof in an 85,000-square-foot, LEED Gold-certified building that stands where a parking lot once was.

The facility, designed by Bassetti Architects and built by Andersen Construction, now houses Alliance High School, Portland DART (Discovering and Rising Together) School and Teen Parent Services with integrated childcare. These programs previously operated in scattered locations, often relegated to the basements of existing schools.

The concept emerged during master planning for Benson Polytechnic High School when a stakeholder suggested using the parking lot space. This shifted how the district approached alternative education, recognizing these programs deserved more than leftover spaces.

Developing the facility required extensive coordination among administrators, educators and community stakeholders. The design team conducted workshops where students expressed needs for spaces that felt safe and connected to nature.

The building features mass timber construction with biophilic design elements that evoke a treehouse environment. Natural wood, warm lighting and textured materials create a calm, stable atmosphere.

An experiential graphic design system weaves throughout the interior, incorporating digitally printed natural patterns on maple wall paneling and featuring overlapping linework representing individual student voices converging into a unified whole. Like the rings of a tree, the graphics tell a multilayered story – bringing a connection to nature, a celebration of individuality and incorporating student voices into the space. That last design feature is one of the most powerful layers: quotes from students are embedded into the design, ensuring their voices are literally part of the building.

“Most people don’t care what I have to say, and now I get quoted on a wall,” one student said during a presentation. This moment encapsulated the true essence of the project – the transformative power of being seen, heard and valued.

The fully electric building is powered partly by solar panels and incorporates trauma-informed design principles, ensuring spatial layouts and lighting support a calming atmosphere for students who struggled in traditional settings.

By integrating childcare services, therapeutic resources and flexible learning environments, the facility removes obstacles that traditionally push students out of the education system.

The project stands as a national model for how architecture can support alternative education.

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