An approximately 6,000-square-foot Multnomah County Library branch will soon receive improvements and grow to around 15,000 square feet.

Bora Architecture & Interiors designed the $28 million project for the Belmont Library, in Portland at 1038 S.E. Cesar E. Chavez Blvd. It’s one of several library upgrades made possible by voters’ approval of a $387 million bond measure in 2020.

Plans call for fully renovating the original, 100-year-old brick building and constructing a two-story addition to the north, along Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard. The building footprint will extend into the existing parking lot, but some short-term parking will be preserved.

The project team also includes structural engineer Valar Consulting Engineering, civil engineer Vega Civil Engineering and general contractor Howard S. Wright, a Balfour Beatty company. Construction is set to begin next month.

The Belmont Library is served by public transportation and lies along a bicycle route in a greenway on Southeast Taylor Street, Bora Architecture & Interiors principal Jeanie Lai said. As part of the project, bike parking will be increased. Also, the sidewalk along Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard will be widened to 15 feet to improve pedestrian access.

The original building’s exterior will be preserved, and wood trim will be repainted. Also, the building will be seismically upgraded to current building codes with all new systems. Interiors will be refreshed in accordance with the building’s original character.

“Belmont Library is a community gem, uniquely reflecting the vibrant spirit of Southeast Portland,” reads Bora’s design concept statement for the project. “Like a geode, its coppery-textured addition harmonizes with the exterior of the original 1924 building, while the light-filled, warm interior fosters well-being, creativity, and connection.”

The addition’s exterior will have reddish-copper-colored custom metal panels, while its interior will feature engineered glulam columns and beams, as well as cross-laminated timber panels.

Currently, the library does not have a lot of seating areas and is popular for holds. The design calls for increasing both seating areas and flexible community spaces to accommodate library programming, Lai said.

The original building will house the children’s collection, with an expanded interactive play area and a middle readers annex. The building will also include a public lactation room and an all-ages restroom.

The addition’s ground floor will feature a main entry leading into an open lobby envisioned as a community “living room,” Lai said. It will include staff areas and an automated book sorting machine. The second floor will house a large, open reading room with the library’s main collection, open computer stations, flexible community rooms, study spaces, various kinds of seating and a dedicated teen area.

“The west façade will showcase window seats and perches, a design feature that was inspired by community feedback,” Lai said.

The project went through an extensive community engagement process that involved 3,000 participants, Lai said. As with other Multnomah County Library projects, the organization hired community design advocates to connect with other community members and learn how the library could represent them. Focus groups, public meetings and surveys provided community input as well.

The library will close to the public on Sept. 7 so that construction can start. While work takes place, a temporary location at 3557 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd. will serve the community. Beginning Sept. 9, this branch will offer limited services, including holds/pickups, Lucky Day items, 24/7 book returns and free wireless printing.

The expanded library is scheduled to reopen in late 2025 or early 2026.

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 91��Ƶ reporter Hilary Dorsey at hdorsey@djcOregon.com.

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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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Holst Architecture, Adjaye Associates and MultiCultural Collaboration have been selected to design Multnomah County Library‘s new east county flagship, a 95,000-square-foot facility that will serve the about 40 percent of Multnomah County residents who live east of I-205.

After a multiphase request for proposals facilitated by Multnomah County’s Procurement team, the Library Capital Bond Program Management Office announced the team on Wednesday.

Of nine projects approved by voters in November 2020, the east county flagship will be an entirely new building from the ground up. The building will be on a scale similar to Central Library in downtown Portland, but with the accessibility and ease-of-use for all East County residents.

The prime architect of record is Holst Architecture. Holst has completed 11 major affordable housing and social service projects in East County, including The Nick Fish, which provides quality affordable housing in Portland’s Gateway Urban Renewal Area. Holst also designed the Rockwood Youth Campus, which brings together Open School, Rockwood Boys & Girls Club and New Avenues for Youth in a unique non-profit campus concept that provides vital services to the East County community. Kim Wilson, Holst principal and owner, will serve as the principal-in-charge for the project.

“As a team, we’re passionate about projects that center and highlight the power and wisdom of communities, and we know the new flagship library can fulfill all these possibilities and more,” Wilson said in a news release. “We believe this should be a space that sparks creativity and imagination — a space that, like a good book, continues to give, unlocking new ideas and connections.”

Joining Holst on the project as design architect is Adjaye Associates, an internationally acclaimed architecture firm known for its work on recent projects, including the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., and the Winter Park Library & 91��Ƶ Center in Winter Park, Florida. The team from Adjaye is led by Sir David Adjaye OBE, an award-winning Ghanaian-British architect.

“I am humbled and honored to be selected as design architect for this precedent setting library project,” Adjaye said in the news release. “Together with Holst and MultiCultural Collaborative, we will work together and in close, continued dialogue with the local community of East County to design a lifelong learning facility that instills a sense of collective wonder and pride.”

MultiCultural Collaborative, which helps communities of color amplify their voices in policy and decision-making discussions, will also play a key role on the project. MCC is particularly knowledgeable about the work of the library as it organized and led focus groups for the 2016 Framework for Future Library Spaces, which has closely informed the work for the Library Capital Bond Projects.

The Engagement and Design Integration team from MultiCultural Collaborative includes Anita Yap, engagement and integration lead; Nikoyia Phillips, equity and engagement strategist; and Suenn Ho, design integration lead.

“As a women-owned, BIPOC team we will serve as role models to inspire BIPOC youth and community members to see themselves as the experts in equity focused design,” the MCC team noted in the news release.

On July 8, Multnomah County Library and TriMet announced an initial agreement to begin a due diligence period of 120 days to negotiate the library’s prospective purchase of the Gresham City Hall Park and Ride as the site for the East County Flagship.

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Multnomah County Library and TriMet have signed a Letter of Intent for at 1297 N.W. Eastman Parkway, Gresham.

The site will be used for the East County Flagship, a large-scale library similar in size to Central Library in downtown Portland. The library will serve the about 40 percent of Multnomah County residents who live east of I-205.

The agreement represents the conclusion of years of searching for an ideal site that will fit a large, planned library of 95,000 square feet and is easily accessible for East County community members. Of nine projects , the East County Flagship will be an entirely new building from the ground up. The Park and Ride land also can accommodate an outdoor area for library programming.

The location has easy to access by walking or taking transit. The Gresham City Hall MAX Station is served by MAX Blue Line, with stops for bus lines 2, 21 and 82 nearby. Gresham Central Transit Center, the future terminus for, is also about a half-mile away. Once it opens in September, FX will provide a faster, more reliable way to get around, with service along Southeast Division Street between Gresham and downtown Portland.

Per the terms of the Letter of Intent, the library and TriMet enter a due diligence period of 120 days or until a binding Purchase and Sale Agreement is executed. TriMet will retain a portion of the site for future . Both parties will work together with the city of Gresham to establish the vision for the site and the surrounding area.

“With this initial agreement, the library is moving forward with its promise to work alongside the community in developing an iconic library that will be beautiful, accessible and representative of the people of East County,” Vailey Oehlke, director of Libraries, said in a news release. “This reflects our continued commitment to equity. Multnomah County Library, along with TriMet and the city of Gresham, is here to build something impactful and community-focused.”

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Project name: Multnomah County Library Operations Center

Location: 221 N.E. 122^nd Ave., Portland

Start date: July 2022

Completion date: Fall 2023

Cost: $62,528,627 ($37,500,529 for construction)

Owner: Multnomah County Library

Construction Manager/General Contractor: Fortis Construction

Architect: Hennebery Eddy Architects

Engineers: KPFF, Interface Engineering

Other Associates/Consultants: The Greenbusch Group (acoustics and AV), Code Unlimited (code consultant), PLACE Studio (landscape architecture), Lensa Consulting (LEED consultant), Biella Lighting (lighting consultant), Arris Consulting LLC (mechanical, plumbing, energy modeling), Knot Design (signage), JG Pierson (structural), Kittelson & Associates (traffic engineer, street lighting)

Significance of Project and Project Description: A ceremonial groundbreaking was held Wednesday for the Multnomah County Library Operations Center, located at the southwest corner of 122^nd Avenue and Glisan Street on the site of a former Safeway grocery store. The center will be at the heart of many library services, where new books and materials come into the library system, where many items placed on hold are sorted and transferred, and where specialized materials and services for outreach to new immigrant communities, schools, retirement communities, shelters and other settings are centered.

The 72,925-square-foot, two-story building will house Automated Materials Handling technology, getting library items to patrons efficiently while ultimately making staff available for more customer service. Additionally, the centralized location provides an opportunity to better serve the community through the library’s outreach programs in schools, child care centers, shelter and transitional housing, and other settings.

While most of the building will not be public-facing, Friends of the Library will run a year-round public retail space that will sell donated books and retired library materials. This is an opportunity to provide a new, affordable retail amenity for East Portland in an accessible location in coordination with Friends of the Library.

Hennebery Eddy Architects will lead design of the center and Fortis Construction is the general contractor. The building will provide a pathway to greater efficiency with sustainability at the core of the work. With plans for approximately 600 photovoltaic panels on the building’s rooftop that convert sunlight into electricity, the goal is to make this a net-zero energy building in addition to attaining LEED Gold certification.  In addition to the photovoltaic panels, the project is following guidance and strategies from Energy Trust of Oregon’s Path to Net Zero plan from initial design planning to construction document review to ensure Net Zero.

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