Skanska is putting the finishing touches on a two-year project to build a modern new home for the Portland State University School of Business. In addition to the complete renovation of approximately 100,000 square feet of existing space, the Karl Miller Center includes the construction of a new five-story pavilion building that connects to the existing building via an atrium with a series of criss-crossing stairways. The project was designed by the Boston office of German-based firm Behnisch Architecten and Portland-based SRG Partnership.

The pavilion will add 15 new classrooms, as well as interactive spaces and a tutoring lounge. The open layout is designed in part to foster interaction and collaboration between students and faculty. It includes three large, tiered classrooms – one with capacity for 80 students, and two with capacity for 60 — that were not able to be built in the existing building due to column spacing.

The pavilion building and atrium are passively cooled. Windows will automatically open in the evening to let in cool air, which will be absorbed by the building’s exposed concrete. The project is on target for a LEED Platinum rating.

Work on the pavilion and the east side renovation is slated to wrap up next month. Major work remaining includes flooring and finish work, startup and commissioning of HVAC equipment, and site work. A grand opening is scheduled for Sept. 19, and classes will begin in the building the following week.

(Editor’s note: This story has been modified from an original version to reflect the correct name of the school, which has been shortened to the School of Business.)

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Team members behind the renovation/addition of 138,000 square feet at the Portland State University School of Business Administration had used BIM before. But never like this, they said.

Instead of merely detecting clashes in the piping and conduit, building mapping software in this case helped ensure every piece of the project was routed appropriately. And with the first half of the project now turned over to the owner, and the remaining, entirely new construction, the team is breathing a little easier.

The ‘perfect storm’

Lots of firms bid for the $60 million project before PSU decided to withdraw its RFP and not select a winner. The feedback it provided SRG was to add “international flare” to its next proposal.

“They wanted the project to have a bigger profile than what a local firm could provide,” Stadler said.

SRG was familiar with Stuttgart, Germany-based Behnisch Architekten and its principal Stefan Behnisch through green design circles. And Behnisch himself is said to have a personal connection with PSU.

“So it was really a perfect storm for us,” Stadler said.

Since the “rejuvenation” effort began in 2015, SRG has worked hand-in-hand with Behnsich’s Boston office – the Germans in charge of the big-picture vision, and SRG handling matters like delivery, documentation, logistics, and even hosting Stefan Behnisch on several trips to Portland.

What the team turned in was ambitious – in the case of the renovation, a clean and airy modern update to 1970s design, and new construction featuring a showpiece atrium encased in sloped glass. Workmen last month waterproofed the glazing and added steel members to support several massive skylights. Shoring recently came off the slab, exposing many different tight radiuses and angles.

BIM functioned here, as on every project, as a shared resource for team members down to the foreman level. It was key to the “intensive” semi-weekly meetings of project leaders. Skanska‘s mechanical, electrical and plumbing partners for the project were also involved, keeping data constantly updated. Skanska’s VDC (virtual and design construction) manager, Robert Smith, has been on-site throughout, helping glue together different 3-D models and coordinating the latest designs with foremen and other managers.

Skanska project manager Ryan Gay said that in his opinion, the intent of BIM is to coordinate what’s being installed to make sure everything fits. This project has been that, plus design evolution – or, essentially, “designing as we go.” Overall, there were “consistent” changes to what Skanska was installing.

“Some of it’s just tinkering, moving things a foot in either direction to get a certain look,” Gay said. “Some of it’s redesigning the entire electrical system.”

Part of the problem was the minimal amount of ceiling called for in the original designs. Most projects hide their infrastructure – water and electrical conduit, ductwork, etc. – under dropped ceiling, so the routing of that stuff doesn’t matter much to the architecture, Stadler said. But on this project, “literally” every piece of infrastructure is out in the open.

Working in the team’s favor was the CM-GC delivery method. The process afforded “fluidity” in cost reconciliation. An example is in the exterior cladding, which was originally intended to be tiled metal panel. That choice proved costly once Skanska priced it out. The firm selected another material that would meet the project’s aesthetic goals, but the Portland Design Commission thought a higher quality was needed. Eventually, the “stars aligned,” Stadler said, and the commission OK’d the next, and final, alternative – a Morin-made, V-profile, blended mill-finish stainless steel panel in a horizontal configuration.

Other changes include wood doors designed as oak being switched to maple, because the contractor recognized the cost difference between softwood and hard. The ductwork was also swapped out in value engineering, from oval to more economical rectangular. The whole ceiling was originally supposed to be painted, but that was taken out to afford a more “industrial” look, with some of the tectum panels now painted bright accents. A passive air transfer system using offset air slots in the walls also had to be tweaked.

“It was challenging to build. We had to help design the construction because what they designed wasn’t constructable,” Gay said.

Other challenges include those associated with working on a busy college campus in a dense urban area – just-in-time deliveries, minimal staging area, road closures, noise and other construction impact mitigation. And, as with many others these days, the project has been affected by the labor shortage, Gay said. As many as 100 craft workers have been employed. On the day of a site tour last month, about 45 union and nonunion tradespeople were working.

As of last month, there had been only one reported injury on the project, and it was minor, Gay said.

The next phase should proceed faster, with material selections having already been vetted. It will be all-new construction, which is generally faster than renovation. Plus, there won’t be any asbestos to mitigate or faculty members to avoid.

‘Furniture and walls’

This project was percolating for a long time, according to Cliff Allen, dean of the business school.

He said it’s been nicer interfacing with donors and alums now that it’s fully funded.

“Fundraising for buildings, it’s difficult,” Allen said. “Our donor base loves a new building, but what they love even more is to give to the school and the students. It will be nice to get back to fundraising for things like student scholarships and faculty endowments, instead of furniture and walls.”

PSU has a number of other projects in the works, several of them comparable in cost to the School of Business Administration. The $70 million renovation and seismic upgrade of Neuberger Hall now has a contractor (Fortis Construction) and an architect (Hacker), and heavy work should begin soon. Crews broke ground in April on the new $50 million Viking Pavilion at the Peter W. Stott Center. It also features Fortis as the builder, as well as a design partnership consisting of a local firm (Woofter Architecture) and a high-profile out-of-town firm (Denver-based Sink Combs Dethlefs).

Those projects also include ambitious designs and a mix of public and private dollars. The breakdown of the business school project is about one-third private, and two-thirds from the state.

The project effectively doubles the school’s footprint. The new facility will feature 23 classrooms and 11 break-out rooms that can be reserved by students. All will be rigged with technology to enable distance learning. There will be a Bloomberg terminal-equipped finance research lab, and a primary lab for marketing research, on topics such as consumerism.

It will mean the business school can add to its enrollment of 3,800 undergraduate students, and, likely, its 400-500 graduate students. With the school sharing space with the Graduate School of Education, students, staff and faculty had grown snug in their old space. But close quarters don’t necessarily translate to collaboration, and the new facilities were designed with teamwork in mind, Allen said.

PSU has changed a lot since it began as a commuter campus. “Interaction” wasn’t being fostered by the old building and students were left to meet after class at nearby coffee shops, or not at all. The new building’s design – for all its complications to the build team – reflects the state of the industry today, and where Allen says it’s going.

“We’re trying to build camaraderie, and that’s really a change in how we view things,” he said. “The irony is, kids are using more devices and connecting in new ways, but the face-to-face is becoming more and more important to businesses.”

PSU School of Business Administration

Project: renovation of six-story building and construction of student pavilion

Cost: $60.3 million ($20 million from private donations)

Contractor: Skanska USA

Architect: Behnisch Architects-SRG Partnership Inc.

Progress: first phase finished, completion of second phase anticipated for August 2017

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Portland State University is seeking to make a minor adjustment to its plans for an expanded business school.

“We are asking for a small change involving two windows and cladding on windows, one on the east and one on the west, because it is causing problems with the energy savings,” PSU spokesman Harry Esteve said.

The project’s architect, SRG Partnership Inc., is proposing a simple solution.

“They’re asking to potentially get rid of those two windows,” Esteve said.

The project team is targeting a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design platinum rating.

PSU officials expect crews to complete the renovation and expansion of the Karl Miller Center in September 2017. Space will nearly triple to almost 143,000 square feet.

With more than 3,500 students, the School of Business Administration is the largest business school in the state, according to the university.

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A project to upgrade the home of Portland State University‘s School of Business Administration will include the renovation of more than 100,000 square feet and an addition totaling 38,000 square feet.

General contractor Skanska began work on the project’s first phase in August with partial demolition of the building’s west side, which formerly housed the university’s Graduate School of Education. That portion of the building has been reduced to its structural elements and is being modernized with new HVAC, electrical, plumbing and communications systems, exterior walls and windows.

The business school will relocate into the west side upon completion of renovations in September 2016, allowing the project’s second phase to begin with demolition and modernization of the building’s east side.

The project’s third phase, which is being performed simultaneously with the renovation work, is construction of a 38,000-square-foot building that will connect to the existing building via a five-story, glass-lined atrium with a sloped roof and crisscrossing stairs and bridges.

Upon completion of that building, the business school will have 21 classrooms – three times as many as it has now. The building will also contain 10 project and team rooms, four industry-specific centers, multiple common spaces and study areas, and new offices for faculty and staff.

The $60 million project was designed by SRG Partnership Inc. and German firm Behnisch Architekten. The engineering team includes PAE Consulting Engineers Inc. for mechanical/electrical/plumbing, Catena Consulting Engineers for structural, and KPFF Consulting Engineers for civil. Mayer/Reed is the landscape architect.

The building will open in August 2017 as the Karl Miller Center, named for the grandfather of donor Rick Miller, a PSU alum.

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Creating an elite college educational program is a complicated potion. Quality professors and a good curriculum are the foundation. Portland State University School of Business Administration Dean Daniel J. Connolly believes PSU already has that part of the formula figured out. The next step is providing the students and the faculty with a state-of-the art building.

By fall 2017, the School of Business Administration will have completed a massive renovation and expansion of its current space that will increase the size by 180 percent. Ground has been broken on the project and the Portland Design Commission recently approved the expansion.

“We are delivering a phenomenal education today,” Connolly said. “We’ve got world class faculty who are teaching programs around the world, researching on the cutting edge and publishing in the main business journals. Our students are getting a very strong education. This gives us a better facility and creates an even better, stronger learning environment and allows us to go to the next level.”

The PSU School of Business Administration had shared space with the College of Education in an existing building at 631 S.W. Harrison St. The School of Business Administration will take over that space, which will be renovated.

The project will include an update of 100,000 square feet of existing building, including space previously used by the Graduate School of Education, as well as the addition of a new 35,000-square-foot pavilion on the north side of the building. The final building size will be 135,000 square feet.

The expansion is critical for the School of Business Administration because it currently offers 150 percent more credit hours than when it moved into its current building in 1986. The new extra space will provide numerous additional areas that students and faculty can use to enhance learning.

“It gives us the staging and the platform to do a lot of things we can’t do now,” Connolly said. “It creates a lot more inviting space and space that’s geared around how students learn. There’s places for group study, there’s places for ad hoc community meetup. There will be little learning communities, which we don’t have today.”

PSU chose SRG Partnership Inc. as the architecture firm for the project. SRG is working closely with German firm Behnisch Architekten on the project. Mayer/Reed is serving as landscape architect, and Skanska is the general contractor.

Engineers on the project include PAE Consulting Engineers Inc. (mechanical, electrical, plumbing), Catena Consulting Engineers (structural), and KPFF Consulting Engineers (civil).

One of the highlights of the project will be a glass atrium between the existing building and the new pavilion with entrances from plazas on Southwest Sixth Avenue and Southwest Broadway.

Connolly believes that when everything is finished, the School of Business Administration will not just enhance the aesthetics of PSU, but also the city of Portland.

“It’s going to be a great addition not only to the Portland State campus, but to the city skyline,” Connolly said.

PSU State originally set a goal to raise $20 million in private funds to go along with $40 million in state-backed bonds, which was approved by the Oregon State Legislature on July 8, 2013.

The university has now reached that $20 million goal, thanks in part to an $8 million donation from Rick Miller, who earned a master’s degree in business administration from the school, and his wife Erika. The donation from the Millers was the largest the business school has ever received. Another donor, who requested to remain anonymous, has promised to double any donation of at least $25,000. PSU has also received financial help for the project from Tim Boyle, president and CEO of Columbia Sportswear Co., and his wife Mary.

Meanwhile, PSU is still looking to drum up more donations to cover the cost of design changes and add sustainability features.

“You never have enough when you’re dealing with a construction project,” Connolly said. “We’ve surpassed the $20 million goal, but the anticipated costs have gone up. We’re still seeking funds and have naming opportunities. Every bit helps. That gives us opportunities to add some new technology features. This building will have some cool sustainability aspects, but we could do more. It will all add to the beauty of the building.”

PSU’s School of Business Administration already has a talented faculty and a diverse student body. Its MBA program is ranked 14^th in the world and first among smaller programs by Beyond Grey Pinstripes for its emphasis on social and environmental stewardship. Connolly is certain that the renovation and expansion will make the program even stronger.

“It’s going to show the Portland metro and Portland business community that we are very serious about business,” Connolly said. “It will show that we are very deeply committed to this community and that we are the business school of Portland. This is a major transformation for the school that will allow us to attract the best and brightest minds with our faculty, staff and students. And it will strengthen and deepen our ties to the business community.”

Project name: Portland State University School of Business Administration

Location: 631 S.W. Harrison Street, Portland

Cost: Approximately $60 million

Construction start date: Summer 2015

Construction completion date: Fall 2017

Owner/developer: Portland State University

Architect: SRG Partnership Inc. and Behnisch Architekten

Landscape Architecture: Mayer/Reed

Engineers: PAE Consulting Engineers Inc. (mechanical, electrical, plumbing), Catena Consulting Engineers (structural), and KPFF Consulting Engineers (civil)

General contractor: Skanska

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Two SRG Partnership projects designed for university clients will need a few tweaks to gain city approval.

The Portland Design Commission last week offered feedback on a planned renovation and expansion of Portland State University’s School of Business Administration building in downtown Portland. The group also critiqued preliminary plans for the proposed Knight Cancer Research Building on the Oregon Health & Science University Schnitzer Campus in the South Waterfront District.

Portland-based SRG Partnership design teams are contributing to both projects. For the PSU business school building, the firm is partnering with Stuttgart, Germany-based Behnisch Architekten.

The proposed $46 million project calls for renovating the existing 100,000-square-foot building, at 631 S.W. Harrison St., and constructing a 31,600-square-foot addition with a new entrance facing Southwest Sixth Avenue. A modernization and upgrade to the existing structure would add 400 classroom seats and 22 break-out rooms for students. The addition would be the same height as the existing building and occupy half of the remaining project site, leaving room to create a public plaza on the northeast corner.

A glass-lined atrium space with a sloped roof would connect the existing building with the addition. The design of the building addition, a series of terraced wood trays with eco-roofs, and the new plaza space embrace the city designation of Southwest Montgomery Street as a green street, said Matthew Noblett, a partner with Behnisch Architekten’s Boston office. The ample stormwater planters on the street served as an inspiration, he told the design commission on Thursday at a design review hearing for the project.

“The Montgomery green street goes through the site and begins to influence the building ground floor,” he said. “We think of this as different from your typical urban stock in the city. The building itself is more like a garden structure. It’s fairly light in volume … It begins to express this idea of green trays.”

But city planner Jeffrey Mitchem on Thursday told the commission that Bureau of Development Services staffers believe the project design, as proposed, isn’t approvable. Among concerns of city staffers were the small size of ground-floor windows and lack of awnings on the building’s side that would face Southwest Harrison Street, he said.

Design commissioners said they agreed with these concerns. Several also questioned plans to construct a new connection between the renovated and expanded building with an existing campus sky bridge.

Commission Vice Chairman Ben Kaiser said that despite written testimony the commission received regarding the sky bridge’s use by people in wheelchairs to more easily navigate the campus, university officials should plan to eventually tear it down and instead make ground-floor entrances more accessible universally.

“At some point, in my opinion, (the sky bridge) should come down,” he told the design team. “I love your design. It clashes so much with that bridge.”

Commissioner Tad Savinar said he also wasn’t a fan of plans to use corrugated metal panels to reclad the existing business school building.

“You’re really going to have to work hard to get me on (board with) that one,” he said. “I don’t think you’re doing it justice with the metal.”

The project team is scheduled to return before the commission with design revisions on July 23.

Knight Cancer Research Building

The design commission also offered feedback Thursday on initial OHSU plans to construct a new building dedicated to cancer research.

Early plans for the Knight Cancer Research Building call for an eight-story, 332,000-square-foot structure fronting Southwest Moody Avenue, directly north of the Collaborative Life Sciences Building and Skourtes Tower. The proposed building would be almost exclusively used by the university’s cancer researchers and include two levels of below-grade parking, a conference center, research labs, offices and ground-floor retail space. An existing pedestrian promenade east of the Skourtes Tower would be extended northward along the new research building’s east side.

The $160 million project was fast-tracked by a $500 million donation from Nike’s Phil Knight to support OHSU cancer research, particularly in the realm of early detection, said Brian Newman, associate vice president of campus planning, development and real estate for OHSU.

“This building is really where the Knight cancer research initiative will be happening,” he said.

Knight’s donation also allowed the university to move forward with a concurrent project to expand the nearby Center for Health & Healing, Newman said.

As design of the Knight Cancer Research Building moves forward, the project team is exploring the best ways for the structure to foster collaborative research, SRG Partnership principal Jeff Yrazabal told the commission. This includes taking lessons learned from the CLSB, a combined education and research building, he said.

“Our team is truly inspired by the mission of the Knight Cancer Institute,” Yrazabal said. “We’ve been challenged to create a new model for their research environment. We’re searching for innovative ideas everywhere … Team science is really driving all these ideas for how this building takes shape. How do we encourage interaction?”

This is one reason why the design team opted for a shorter building with wider floor plates.

“We’re effectively trying to create a stair building, not an elevator building,” he said.

Design commissioners said that overall they were pleased with the direction of the project design, but offered a few suggestions. Kaiser noted that it might be better to replace a proposed rooftop terrace with smaller ones on every floor.

“Wouldn’t it be great for researchers to have a terrace on every level?” he said.

Commissioner Guenevere Millius was reminded the design team that the commission will pay close attention to how the building responds to its context.

“We’re going to be interested to see how this building interacts on all sides with the city,” she said.

A return by the project team before the commission is not scheduled yet.

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The Portland Development Commission‘s board last week adopted a resolution authorizing Executive Director Patrick Quinton to enter a disposition and development agreement with Portland State University to redevelop several properties within the University District area and University Place.

“The DDA with PSU allows some property, currently owned by PDC, to be transferred or sold to PSU for redevelopment,” PDC spokesman Shawn Uhlman said. “PDC has committed funding to several projects with PSU.”

There are six projects on which PSU and PDC are collaborating. As part of the adopted resolution, PDC agreed that no portion of the public money PDC awards will be used “exclusively for education purposes, but rather will be incorporated into a project in conjunction with PSU funds in a way which preserves the use of those assets contributed by PDC for non-education purposes.”

The first project will be construction of a Graduate School of Education on a half-block at Southwest Park Avenue and Mill Street – currently, the site is home of the Extended Studies Building. The school is planning to request for the project state money from the Higher Education Coordinating Commission. If funding is approved, construction would begin in 2017 and wrap up in mid-2018. Portland’s Office of Management and Finance has executed a letter of intent with PSU to occupy at least 30,000 square feet of space in the new building. The PDC has agreed to provide nonfinancial assistance by structuring the disposition and transfer of site ownership to PSU.

The second project, at PSU’s School of Business Administration, will include large-scale renovations to an existing 97,000-square-foot building and construction of an additional 38,000 square feet. The PDC committed to contribute $2 million in tax increment financing (TIF) to assist in the renovation. This project could be delivered by fall 2017.

The completion dates for the final four projects are further out, with the Jasmine project (late 2020) scheduled as the first. That multi-use development will feature commercial and educational space. The PDC will provide nonfinancial support in the form of assistance in disposition and transference of the site to PSU to add taxable value for generation of TIF revenue.

Plans aren’t set yet for about a quarter-block – currently owned by TriMet – at the corner of Southwest Lincoln Street and Fourth Avenue. The project, which is scheduled for completion in mid-2026, would provide “an opportunity to create a synergy between PSU-owned properties adjacent to TriMet-owned properties.” The PDC plans call for PSU and TriMet to jointly lead a process to identify possible interim uses for the property before construction begins in 2023. As part of the agreement, the PDC will try to secure development and ownership rights of the parcel from TriMet in order to make TIF funding available to PSU in the amount of the fair market value of the property. If the PDC is unable to reach an agreement with TriMet, PSU will be obligated to construct taxable, TIF-generating commercial space on the site in order to pay for the purchase.

The PDC has committed at least $1.8 million to help pay for the University Place Project on a 3.86-acre parcel at 310 S.W. Lincoln St. PSU hopes to attract a development partner that is interested in creating a dense, mixed-use development on the site.

In the agreement, PSU agrees to meet with the PDC as soon as a concept plan for the site is developed to discuss whether the school would like to include non-student affordable housing that would receive funds from the Portland Housing Bureau. Construction is scheduled to start in early 2019 and deliver in mid-2021.

The final development of the agreement is the Fourth Avenue Project; construction isn’t scheduled to begin for nearly a decade, according to PDC documents. The building at 1900 S.W. Fourth Ave. houses part of PSU’s Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science. The project involves renovating and possibly expanding the building to accommodate new research and commercial activities. The development is scheduled for completion in mid-2026.

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Two Portland State University building renovations are lined up, and another may follow.

Construction is scheduled to start in summer 2015 on improvements to the School of Business Administration and Viking Pavilion.

Also, the Oregon Legislature in summer 2015 could approve funding for a major renovation to Neuberger Hall. If so, ground would be broken on that project as soon as spring 2017.

SRG Partnership and Behnisch Architekten are scheduled to wrap up schematic design for the business school project at the end of August. Skanska will be the contractor.

The university hasn’t hired an architect for Viking Pavilion, but hopes to hire one this summer, PSU spokesman Scott Gallagher said. The project calls for construction of a new basketball court and a 5,000-seat meeting space.

One of university officials’ top requests of the state, Gallagher said, is for money to renovate Neuberger Hall, which houses classrooms and the financial aid and registration offices. The aging building needs work including a seismic upgrade and roof repairs, he said.

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A detail in a Portland State University pamphlet caught the eye of SRG Partnership principal Jon Wiener as the firm prepared to bid on a planned expansion and renovation of the School of Business Administration.

After reading that one of the university’s goals is to achieve a global reputation for excellence, Wiener knew that partnering with Stuttgart, Germany-based Behnisch Architekten would give SRG an edge in the bidding process.

“When PSU (officials) began their process for selecting an architect, it was clear that they wanted to look internationally,” he said. “So we (said), ‘We need an international partner that has expertise in sustainable design.’ ”

SRG’s relationship with Behnisch paid off when PSU in January awarded the two firms a contract to design the $60 million business school expansion. The aim is to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design platinum rating, Wiener said.

“One of the ways that (PSU is) trying to achieve global prominence is with sustainable practices and sustainable design,” he said. “This building for the school of business was an opportunity to make a statement on sustainable design.”

SRG and Behnisch are in the early stages of designing a 42,000-square-foot expansion and renovation of the business school’s existing 52,000-square-foot building. The tricky part, Wiener said, will be finding the best ways to create a highly efficient building that serves the needs of students and faculty. This includes careful considerations for the locations of lecture halls, classrooms and other spaces, as well as how they’re heated and cooled.

“The challenge in an educational building is you have large numbers of people and you have high intensity of use during certain times of the day,” Wiener said. “You get large amounts of people that generate a lot of heat, and how do you solve that without using air conditioning? An academic building is more difficult. There’s more complexity.”

It helps that SRG and Behnisch share the same approach to sustainable design, Wiener said. Both firms prioritize natural ventilation, daylighting and insulation over solar panels or green roofs, he said.

“Those aren’t the essence of sustainability,” he said. “They are the symbols that people look for, but what makes a building wonderful is often daylight. The most cost-effective way in terms of energy performance is to reduce your (building energy) loads.”

The partnership also is a great way for SRG staffers to become familiarized with a European approach to sustainable design, Wiener said.

“We recognize that there is a lot to learn from the sustainable design that is happening in other parts of the world, particularly in Europe,” he said.

When PSU officials selected SRG to design the project, they were particularly impressed with the firm’s design of the Lillis Business Complex at the University of Oregon in Eugene, PSU spokesman Scott Gallagher said. Behnisch’s reputation as a world leader in sustainable design was equally appealing, he said.

“As we continue to target our education to the market and expand our influence, we recognized that we needed a top-notch school, a top-notch building,” he said. “Right now, our classes and faculty are spread out throughout campus. What it’s going to do is bring everybody under one roof.”

Construction is scheduled to begin in May 2015 and wrap up by the end of 2016. PSU has hired Skanska, which has a Portland office, as the contractor.

The project is Behnisch’s first in Portland, said Matthew Noblett, a partner with the firm’s Boston office. Behnisch is working with SRG to decide whether the expansion will be a separate building, attached to the existing building or placed on top, among other options. Other important decisions include determining how to bring more light into the existing building and make it more inviting and efficient, Noblett said. This may include gutting the building and starting from scratch.

“It’s very interesting to think about what can this old building become,” he said. “The precise balance of new and old needs to be determined. I think everybody agrees that the goal is to transform that existing building.”

The design for the renovation will account for the existing building’s central location on campus, Noblett said.

“There are such great opportunities,” he said. “You don’t want to somehow miss the traffic (and) have the building be enlivened by the traffic, but to figure out how to do that is a challenge.”

Also, the design will incorporate retail space and student gathering spaces throughout both the renovated building and the expansion, Gallagher said.

“Right now, there is nowhere for (students) to hang out, nowhere for them to study,” he said. “We’re very conscious of wanting this building to not just be beautiful, not just be sustainable, but suitable to our students and faculty.”

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The award of the construction manager-general contractor contract for the $60 million School of Business Administration expansion and renovation project at Portland State University is on hold, according to PSU Communications Manager John Kirkland.

That is because Howard S. Wright has filed a protest against the State Board of Higher Education after it issued in December a notice of intent to award the CM-GC contract to Skanska USA Building.

If Skanska were awarded the contract, it would work with SRG Partnership Inc., which in January signed its contract to design the building expansion. German firm Behnisch Architekten will partner with SRG, according to PSU.

“We are enthusiastically awaiting the finalization of our contact with PSU, after which we will be able to discuss the project details more freely,” Nathan Gibson, Skanska vice president of business development, said via email.

Howard S. Wright representatives could not be reached for comment.

The project calls for expanding the existing 52,000-square-foot building by 42,000 square feet. Also, the Graduate School of Education, which shares the building with the School of Business Administration, will relocate, freeing 53,000 additional square feet.

The $60 million project is being paid for with $40 million of state-backed bonds and $20 million of private contributions. The bond request was approved by the Oregon Legislature in July 2013. Private fundraising is about 80 percent complete, according to PSU.

University officials estimate ground to be broken in January 2015 and the expanded building to open by fall 2016.

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