Project name: The Springs at The WaterfrontLocation: Vancouver, Washington

Completion: July 2024

Size: 465,000 square feet

Owner/Developer: The Springs Living

Architect: GBD Architects

Interior Designer: GBD Architects

Engineers: KPFF, Ocean Park Mechanical, Prairie Electric

General Contractor: Howard S. Wright, a Balfour Beatty company

Submitting Company: Howard S. Wright, a Balfour Beatty company

Other Key Participants: Pacific Medical Buildings (development partner), Harrison Street Real Estate Capital (equity partner), City of Vancouver, Interface Engineering, Lango Hansen

Subcontractors: Alliance Laundry Systems, Anderson Poolworks, Bargreen Ellingson of Oregon, Building Material Specialties, Building Specialties Northwest, Cash’s Drapery, Center Pointe Signs, Chown Portland, Dallas Glass, DeaMor Associates, DE-EL Enterprises, Dero, Don Frank Floors, Eagle Striping Services, ES&A Sign & Awning, F.D. Thomas, Fireside Contracting Services, Floor Solutions, Flynn BEC, Foster Bray, Fought & Co., Conco Concrete, Greenhaven Landscapes, Hospitality Services, Infinity Images, Interior Technology, J&S Masonry, J.S. Perrott & Co., Knife River Corp.-Northwest, Kraft Screens & Window Washington, Lanz Cabinet Shop, Legend Custom Woodworking, Mincey Marble Manufacturing, Ocean Park Mechanical, Otis Elevator, Overhead Door Co. of Portland, Pacific Stair, Performance Contracting, Prairie Electric, Precision Rail of Oregon, Pro-Bel Enterprises, Proclean, Safemark Systems, Schonert & Associates, Sign Wizards, Standard TV & Appliance, Starline Windows USA, Superior Fence, Tapani, Teufel Nursery, Viking Automatic Sprinkler, Washington Commercial Painters, Wessco Equipment, Williamsen & Bleid

The Springs at The Waterfront rises 12 stories along the Columbia River, representing a bold reimagining of senior living in an urban setting.

The 250-residence community seamlessly integrates Independent Living, Assisted Living and Memory Care across approximately 465,000 square feet, with two levels of underground parking. The project achieved LEED Gold and Fitwel 3-star certifications.

The project has attracted the youngest demographic The Springs Living has seen.

The community faced unique challenges during development. Located less than a mile from Pearson Field airport, builders encountered strict FAA height limitations, ultimately setting the building just 6 inches below regulatory restrictions. During excavation, crews uncovered contaminated soils and unexpected buried structures from the site’s industrial past. Workers removed 2,029 tons of concrete foundations, 187 wooden piles and 267 tons of steel. An 1889 brick foundation from the DuBois Brothers Sawmill was cataloged by the State Department of Archaeology before removal.

The building’s innovative design places Memory Care residents on upper floors, providing equitable access to Columbia River views. A dedicated wellness suite on the second floor houses fitness classes, physical therapy services and an elevated pool with distinctive privacy screens that maintain river views while blocking visibility from neighboring buildings.

Departing from traditional senior dining models, The Springs features “Fancho’s Public House,” a bistro-heavy concept creating a casual atmosphere where residents can “come as they are.”

The exterior facade combines masonry, dark bronze, and wood tones in patterns inspired by sunset reflections on the Columbia River. Interior spaces feature subtle whites, grays and beiges complemented by natural Oregon oak and stone textures.

Thoughtfully selected materials like Knotwood, an aluminum cladding system that replicates wood while offering superior durability, allow the building to withstand challenging waterfront conditions.

Residents enjoy a ninth-floor wine bar, outdoor roof deck with garden plots, putting green and dog run. Ground-floor spaces connect to waterfront paths, playgrounds and outdoor dining areas.

Two natural gas-fueled rooftop generators augment emergency power systems, allowing residents to shelter in place during emergencies while maintaining essential services.

While the project did not include specific MWESB participation requirements, Howard S. Wright and the project team remained committed to providing opportunities for diverse firms. Team members participated in various outreach efforts at local tradeshows and association events including PBDG, OAME and MCIP. As a result of these efforts, more than $5.4 million in work was awarded to 18 MWESB subcontractors and vendors.

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Successful contractors often have a sweet spot – a type of project in which they excel because of past experience. For Woodburn-based Triplett Wellman Contractors, one of those sweet spots is the elementary school.

Triplett Wellman has at least seven such projects ongoing right now in Oregon and Washington, including one north of the Columbia River, in central Vancouver. The firm, with Darryl Giorgini serving as superintendent, is building a replacement for aged Walnut Grove Elementary School.

The project is being paid for with money from a $458 million Vancouver Public Schools bond approved by voters in February 2017. Construction is taking place on the same property, slightly east of the existing building that was constructed in 1952.

Bassetti Architects‘ design calls for a two-story building with three distinct wings.

As of Thursday, crews with Nutter Excavating were continuing to excavate foundation footings on the west end of the site, while operators of heavier machinery performed grading and other site work on the east side. In the middle of the site, a three-person crew from Piper Mechanical continued below-grade installation of wastewater lines, while another crew from Prairie Electric installed conduit.

“Right now we’re working our way out with the footings,” Giorgini said. “We did the perimeter, then the electrical underground and plumbing underground went in because the starting depth on the plumbing is deeper than your footings.”

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Structural steel erection for a new gymnasium at Tigard High School is wrapping up as crews approach the end of a two-year, $66 million expansion and renovation project.

The school, constructed during the postwar building boom, has received some 18 remodels over the years. General contractor Pence Construction is carrying out the latest improvements, thanks to money from a $291.3 million bond approved by voters in 2016.

“This high school was built in the 1950s; that was its first iteration,” said Eric Nesse, Tigard-Tualatin School District‘s bond support administrator. “It’s really been a Frankenstein job with many additions. Our architect has a little historic card with all the different colors from all the different remodels.”

The project, designed by Bassetti Architects, is taking place in two phases; renovations and new construction are covering a total of approximately 153,000 square feet. In the first phase, workers expanded an existing classroom wing for business and career and technical education, built a new wing with administrative space and a large common area highlighted by a learning stair, installed new turf for athletic fields, and constructed new tennis courts.

In the second phase, now under way, crews are building a new auxiliary gym that will connect with the new common area and an expanded cafeteria.

“There will also be the courtyard,” Nesse said. “And there’s a little breezeway that will be locked with a fence across it to the old building that will create a secure area. Looking into the auxiliary gym area, this is actually sort of a pit. There’s a walkway all the way around the gym that’s kind of sunken like a pit, with the basketball court down below at a lower level.”

All of that is now evident as completion of construction is now in sight.

“We’re in phase two, but there are still some odds and ends to take care of from phase one,” Pence Construction project superintendent Kurt Schwabauer said. “They’ve been using (the new wing) all year and everyone seems to be pretty happy.”

While DSL Builders of Salem is finishing structural steel work for the gym, Fred Shearer & Sons of Beaverton is building walls as well as connecting new structures with existing ones.

“The ironworkers are out there, and now the framers are here from Fred Shearer and they do the interior and exterior framing,” Schwabauer said. “They’ve got a pretty big package; they’re doing the interior and exterior framing (and) they’re doing the drywall and the insulation and the weather barrier.”

Fred Shearer & Sons also is performing finish carpentry and installing custom wooden ceilings throughout much of the new space. Other major subcontractors on the job include Prairie Electric and Oregon Cascade Plumbing & Heating.

“Oregon Cascade has our plumbing and heating package,” Schwabauer said. “Their labor force does the wet side of things, and then they’ve hired Salem Heating to do the dry side.”

For now, crews are scrambling to get roofing into place and the new gym dried in as spring approaches. This summer will mark two years of work on the project.

“With final phase 2 delivery, building turnover (will be) in early August and the parking lot will be done at the end of the summer,” Schwabauer said.

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Southwest Washington is abuzz with school construction.

Vancouver Public Schools, for instance, has under way multiple projects being for with money from a $458 million bond measure passed by voters in 2017.

On the Washington State University-Vancouver campus, crews are building new space for iTech Preparatory – a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math)-focused magnet school that serves students throughout the district. The school, which opened in 2012, has students in grades 6 through 12; middle school pupils currently attend classes in district administration offices while high school students occupy a leased building on the WSU campus.

“We’ve never had a facility where we could house all the grades at one location,” said Todd Horenstein, an assistant superintendent and director of facility support services for Vancouver Public Schools.

The new building will have approximately 80,000 square feet of space over three stories and be able to serve up to 700 students. LSW Architects of Vancouver designed the facility, which is being built by Hillsboro general contractor Robinson Construction.

The project’s budget is around $30 million, Horenstein said. The building is being constructed to Washington Sustainable Schools Protocol, an energy efficiency process with standards roughly akin to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver, he added.

Currently, site work is under way at one end of the iTech Preparatory site. Meanwhile, ironworkers and carpenters are building formwork and installing rebar in preparation for concrete slab foundation and footer pours.

On Northeast 28th Street in Vancouver, ground was broken this past summer on a replacement for Peter S. Ogden Elementary School. LSW Architects and Robinson Construction are handling this project as well.

The two-story building will be wood-framed over slab-on-grade foundations. It will be able to accommodate as many as about 500 students.

Foundation work already is complete. Currently, first-floor walls, both on the interior and exterior, are being built and placed by crews from DSL Framing.

Meanwhile, on MacArthur Boulevard, two schools are being built anew. Marshall Elementary School and McLoughlin Middle School will be constructed as a single two-story structure on open land between existing facilities.

The two schools will be physically connected by a shared kitchen and mechanical space, as well as a media center able to be partitioned. However, each school will function separately, Horenstein said.

LSW Architects designed this project too, but Skanska USA Building is the general contractor for this project. Currently, crews from Tapani Underground, Skanska and Prairie Electric are carrying out site work, underground utility installation and form work for upcoming foundation concrete pours.

Instead of standard steel or wood framing, however, cross-laminated timber structural elements will be used atop a concrete foundation. This will be one of the first educational buildings in the Portland-metro area to feature such construction.

Evergreen Public Schools, another school district in Vancouver, also has projects on tap. Voters in February approved a $695 million bond measure. Numerous construction projects totaling more than $800 million will be completed by 2024, according to the district’s website.

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A major expansion under way at the Mary’s Woods retirement community will add nine buildings to the Lake Oswego campus. General contractor R&H Construction is building The Village at Mary’s Woods, a $100-million-plus project that includes 198 units of independent living space, 48 assisted-living residences, three retail buildings, a community center, and significant site improvements.

Ankrom Moisan Architects is the designer of the project, which spans six acres of former open field space. Site work began in early 2017 with grading, installation of utilities and geopiers, which run eight feet on center under every structure. Construction of buildings commenced last May.

The initial scope of the project was for six new buildings consisting of a mix of independent and assisted living, a retail structure, and the community center. After construction had begun, two more retail buildings and a fourth independent living building were added to the project, extending the duration of the project by approximately six months.

The four independent living buildings are all three-story wood-framed buildings over single-level below-grade parking structures. Buyers of the one- and two-bedroom units are being given the option to pick custom finishes, which R&H is keeping track of using a software program it has used on previous projects to track building multiple units with a wide variety of finishes.

Approximately 300 trades workers are currently working on the site, and the contractor has a team of about 15. The project team also includes landscape architects PLACE Studio, civil engineers Humber Design Group, and structural engineers Froelich Engineers. The mechanical/electrical/plumbing/fire protection systems are design/build by Prairie Electric, Tapani Plumbing, Hunter-Davisson, and Patriot Fire Protection.

The first of the residential buildings is slated for turnover late this year, with two more slated to follow in the coming months. The project is slated for total completion by fall of 2019.

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