Harv Wingerd started with Todd Construction as an apprentice carpenter in 1970. Fifty years later, he’s still a part of the company, with a long record of major projects and mentoring younger workers and subcontractors.

The Tualatin-based general contractor recently held a celebration for Wingerd, who at 70 years old worked his way up to a general superintendent at the firm.

“He was a real hard driver,” said Brent Schafer, president of Todd. “He was really loyal; I really appreciate that with him. He was pretty much just a company man — a guy you dream about having.”

Wingerd has stepped back from a day-to-day role at the company since suffering a stroke that has limited his speaking ability. But he’s still a part of the workforce, and still has his company truck.

“We haven’t retired him,” Schafer joked.

During his time as superintendent, Wingerd led construction at Multnomah Falls, the Portland Trail Blazers’ practice facility in Tualatin and The Springs, a senior living community in Lake Oswego.

At Multnomah Falls, Wingerd employed a helicopter to lift in materials to rebuild the visitors center and lodge in steep terrain. A new viewing platform was a change order not in the original plans.

Wingerd, who was honored with an Icon award by the 91��Ƶ in 2018, also served as foreman for the Oregon State Capitol expansion project.

Wingerd – his first name is Harvel, but everyone calls him Harv – came to see many changes during his career. Perhaps the most difficult adjustment was tackling email. But he learned to incorporate computers into his work, Schafer said.

“He got over it and was very effective with technology,” Schafer said.

Wingerd’s final project was The Springs at Lake Oswego, a large senior housing building. The project involved two floors of underground parking and a rooftop solar array.

Wingerd often mentored subcontractors, the company said.

“He’s good at mentoring subcontractors who are new to commercial work,” Todd Construction Vice President Ken Dixon said in a news release. “He wants to help them succeed and improve their business.”

Wingerd serves on the board of the Associated General Contractors Oregon-Columbia chapter’s apprenticeship committee and the Northwest College of Construction.

His mentorship applied closer to home, too. Wingerd’s two adult sons followed him into the business. Ted is a foreman and Charlie is a carpenter, both for Todd Construction.

Wingerd is also known for his “Harv-isms” — a repertoire of folksy sayings.

“I’m like a tight pair of pants,” Wingerd would often say, “ready to rip.”

The post Todd Construction celebrates Wingerd’s long, illustrious career appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

After standing vacant for over a decade, Kellogg Middle School in Southeast Portland was finally demolished in 2018.

Now, a new $60 million Kellogg is rising on the same site, at 3330 S.E. 69th Ave. This week, crews from general contractor Todd Construction and NessCampbell Crane + Rigging placed the first of 27 concrete tilt panels that will form the backbone of the new school’s gymnasium and auditorium.

“PPS is hoping that this becomes a model for our middle schools,” Portland Public Schools spokesman David Mayne said on Wednesday. “These walls here are preformed walls; they were poured over the last few weeks and now (crew members) are attaching cable lifts and raising them up. We started yesterday, and these are the very first walls going up at the new school.”

Designed by Oh planning+design, architecture, the new middle school will have roughly 110,000 square feet spread across three stories. A T-shaped configuration will be used, with the gym and auditorium forming the base of the T and the classroom wing serving as the crossbar. Administrative and other common space will form the stem.

Underground utilities as well as gymnasium and commons footings and foundation slabs have all been completed. This week, the concrete tilt wall forms were removed and the walls were lifted into place for the new auditorium and gymnasium.

“The gymnasium and the stage area is the only section that has the concrete tilt panels,” Todd Construction superintendent Monte Carothers said. “The rest of the school is all structural steel and metal stud framing.

The weather has so far been advantageous for the project team, Carothers noted.

“So far, we’ve had a mild fall … and we’re very fortunate to get that,” he said. “But we know with the extended forecast that things are changing.”

Meanwhile, half of the forms and concrete pours for learning suites building footings are done, while excavation for remaining footings is wrapping up. Final excavation and decommissioning of existing underground drywells and debris piles also has been performed.

Construction is expected to finish by the end of 2020, with the new school scheduled to open in fall 2021, according to Portland Public Schools.

The post Another structural investment in education appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

A large senior housing project under construction in Lake Oswego will provide 216 new units for that growing population. The Springs Living, a McMinnville-based senior housing provider, has customized the development to suit the high-end needs of Lake Oswego residents and appeal to the sensibilities of modern seniors, who are more active and engaged than those of previous generations.

“They’re not their parents,” said Fee Stubblefield, president and founder of The Springs Living. “The Silent Generation is much more discriminating. They’ve got lots of options and they will not move in unless it’s right.”

As a result, The Springs Living at Lake Oswego has been crafted to cater to an increasingly sophisticated customer base. The five-story building is being erected on a 4.5-acre parcel at Boones Ferry Road and Kruse Way. According to Stubblefield, his company never would have considered building a high-density project on such a valuable piece of land when it started in the mid-1990s. These days, there is new demand for dense, urban infill senior housing projects with ample amenities.

Building residents will have access to a pool and full spa, a wellness center, a 100-seat theater, and five dining venues. A rooftop terrace includes a wine bar, a bocce ball court and a putting green. On-site health care, valet parking, and porter and concierge services will also be provided.

General contractor Todd Construction began work on the project in 2017, and completion is slated for November. The project’s architect of record is Ray Yancey, who was working with Myhre Group Architects at the project’s start, and according to Stubblefield is now with LRS Architects. Stubblefield declined to disclose the total project cost, but said that the construction contract is valued at approximately $65 million.

The 373,000-square-foot structure consists of three levels of wood-framed construction over two floors of post-tensioned concrete, including a full level of below-grade parking. It will house independent living, assisted living and memory care units with studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom floor plans. The building is about 75 percent leased, making it The Springs Living’s most successful pre-leasing endeavor to date.

Stubblefield attributes that success in part to the 3.5 percent population growth of people age 75 and older in Lake Oswego (that rate is double that of other communities) and in part to changes in senior housing trends in the decade since his firm opened a project in the Tanasbourne area of Hillsboro. At the time, building senior housing in densely populated areas was thought to be a risky move.

“That project changed us to realize that we’re going to go the very best locations,” he said. “The residents that we serve want to be there, and be an integral part of the community that they helped build.”

The post High-end senior housing complex Springs up appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

School construction will be taking place in Vancouver, Washington, for years to come.

In February 2017, voters approved a $458 million bond measure for Vancouver Public Schools. One year later, voters approved a $695 million bond measure for the city’s other school district – Evergreen Public Schools.

On Northeast 42nd Avenue, crews are working on one of the Vancouver Public Schools projects – a replacement for Truman Elementary. General contractor Todd Construction is overseeing the effort to erect a two-story building designed by Bassetti Architects. The new school will sit on the same property as the existing one, but in a different location.

Crews broke ground in January, and work has proceeded quickly. Ironworkers from several companies are erecting structural steel and laying rebar for foundation slabs, while Todd Construction self-performs carpentry.

“We’ve got some of the slab-on-grade foundation down and we’ve started the first section of structural steel,” Todd Construction superintendent Monte Carothers said at the project site last week. “There’s plumbing, electrical underground – everything to do with the foundation. And then as you can see, the ironworkers are there. Next week we’ll have the drywall contractor on-site and he’ll be starting his metal framing in that area.”

Additional slab-on-grade concrete and structural steel work is scheduled, Carothers added.

“The following week we’ll be going vertical in that same area out there,” he said. “It’s fun. Especially when you get to the stage where you’re pouring slabs, it starts changing fairly quickly.”

The post Building a solid foundation for learning appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

Robinson Construction is seeking bids from subcontractors for work on the new Kellogg Middle School in Southeast Portland.

Portland Public Schools closed the former school in 2007; it was demolished this past summer.

Oh Planning + Design, Architecture has designed the new school, which will be built at 3330 S.E. 69th Ave. Plans call for a 108,478-square-foot building, a covered play area, a play field, a new parking lot, a bus drop-off area and an emergency vehicle access road. A Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design BD+C: Schools gold rating will be sought for the project.

The new building will be T-shaped, with the crossbar of the T parallel with Powell Boulevard and housing three stories of primarily classroom space. The stem of the T, meanwhile, will house the gym, performing arts and administrative facilities, and common spaces in a single story. The main entry will be located where the two wings meet.

Construction is set to begin this summer, with completion tentatively scheduled for the end of 2020. The new school would then open for the start of the 2021-22 school year.

Bid documents are available at: www.robcon.com/subcontractors/. Prospective bidders can learn more by calling 503-645-8531 or emailing bids@robcon.com. The deadline to submit bids is 2 p.m. on April 16.

Robinson Construction is one of two qualified bidders for the Kellogg Middle School project; the other is Todd Construction.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify that a general contractor has not yet been selected for the project.

To find information on this project, or others like it, join the 91��Ƶ Project Center. It’s a searchable and trackable database of thousands of construction projects in the Pacific Northwest. Discover projects ranging from civil transportation work to private multifamily housing, and gain access to all the contact information and project documents you will need to bid on the project. Sign up for a free trial today by contacting Sharlene Richard at 503-802-7252 or SRichard@djcOregon.com.

The post Work on Portland school project now up for bid appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

The history of Todd Construction can be traced by the projects it has built across the Pacific Northwest.

After 75 years in business, the company has a portfolio of projects spanning a range of sizes and types. They range from a practice gym for the Portland Trail Blazers to a renovation of Multnomah Falls Lodge to the Faubion PK-8 + Concordia University project.

Todd Construction got its start in 1942 as Todd Building Co., when founder John D. Todd took on construction of a sawmill and 50 employee homes for a lumber company in Roseburg. As Todd’s company grew, it expanded its scope to include schools, government buildings and commercial projects.

Todd’s son, John R., joined the company in 1970. The business changed its name to Todd Construction in 1986, and moved its headquarters to Tualatin one year later.

The company has since gone on to earn a spot on Oregon Business magazine’s list of the top 150 privately held companies in the state and reach a bonding capacity of $100 million with a volume that exceeds $75 million annually.

Combined, the company’s leadership team – President Brent Schafer, Vice President Ken Dixon and General Superintendent Harv Wingerd – boasts a century of experience in construction. The 50 field and office employees, including a project management team featuring third-generation members of the Todd family and superintendents with 30 years or more of industry experience, are continuing to uphold the company’s commitment to collaboration and adoption of emerging technologies.

The Springs at Lake Oswego

Todd Construction started building this 373,000-square-foot, five-story brick veneer building in October 2017. The project represents a collaboration of The Springs Living, Myhre Group Architects and Todd Construction. The first two floors are composed of post-tensioned concrete while the upper three floors are wood-framed. The development will have one level of underground parking.

The Springs at Lake Oswego will feature one-, two- and three-bedroom independent and assisted living units as well as memory care services. Residents will have access to on-site amenities including a fitness center, a pool, a theater, a pub, and a day spa and wellness center.

The second floor will feature interior courtyards. The building’s rooftop will offer a plaza, a seating area and a wine bar along with a garden area designed to support energy efficiency.

The anticipated completion date is September 2019.

Lacamas Lake Elementary School

This summer Todd Construction is applying finishing touches on a 75,000-square-foot elementary school designed by Mahlum Architects for the Camas (Washington) School District. The facility, which replaces the 50-year-old Lacamas Heights Elementary, features a design that pays tribute to nature.

The 40-acre site is surrounded by creeks, wetlands and wooden areas while also offering views of Mount Hood. Existing boulders and trees are being incorporated in a new playground.

Inside the building, Douglas fir will be used for window frames. Maple will be featured in casework and used for nooks where students will be able to curl up and read or study.

The new building, which has been designed to accommodate up to 600 students in grades kindergarten through fifth, is a two-story steel structure. The core will contain space for a gym, a cafeteria and a kitchen, a library and a music room. Wings for classrooms will branch from the core. The building also will include a lobby, a commons area and administrative offices.

Completion is expected later this summer.

George Fox University Student Activity Center

Todd Construction will head into the fall with an eye toward wrapping up work on a new student activity center at George Fox University in Forest Grove.
Overlooking Hess Creek Canyon, the activity center will offer 52,000 square feet for students to enjoy, whether at work or at play. The building, designed by Soderstrom Architects, features three courts that can be used for volleyball and basketball, an indoor running track, a rock climbing wall, movement studios, a fitness center and a student lounge. Approximately 5,400 square feet of the building will be used for offices to accommodate student government and clubs.

Builder’s Choice is a 91��Ƶ feature offering a look at the projects being tackled by local architecture, engineering and construction firms. To have your firm’s projects considered, contact 91��Ƶ construction reporter Josh Kulla at 503-802-7226 or jkulla@djcOregon.com.

The post Builder’s Choice: Todd Construction appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

A new elementary school for Camas School District is designed to connect students to nature as well as academics beginning in fall 2018. Todd Construction is nearly ready to break ground on the $30 million Lacamas Lake Elementary School, which will replace the aging Lacamas Heights Elementary School.

“They will be mobilizing to the site in the next few weeks,” said Abby Dacey, associate principal at Mahlum Architects, the lead architect on the project.

The school is among projects being paid for with money from a $119 million bond that district voters approved in 2016. It will serve more than 600 students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Squeezing a 73,000-square-foot facility onto a 40-acre site with wetlands, creeks and trees has presented the biggest challenge.

“It’s a very full site, just not full of the school,” Dacey said.

The design seeks to build upon the ecological richness of the area to create a “school in the country,” according to Dacey.

“We want to create a very fluid relationship between outdoor and indoor space,” said Rene Berndt, project designer at Mahlum Architects. “It will be a very powerful connection between nature and this space.”

Designers are using wood paneling and creating nooks for children to sit in and read. The idea is to use wood and clear skylights to create shadows and the feel of a forest.

“We are trying to replicate the sense of a deer walking through the forest,” Berndt said.

Teachers also had a major impact on the design of the facility. The rooms are designed in pairs with movable partitions separating them. Teachers can choose to instruct their individual classes or move the walls and create a team learning environment.

The partitions will have “features that will minimize any sound transmission” when closed, Dacey said.

Outside of the building, designers sought to create an environment much different than ones often found at schools. Instead of metal playground equipment, boulders and tree houses will be used to help students feel as though they are in a natural setting. The plan includes a slide built into the landscape.

The designers’ hope is to transform the existing wetland – currently little more than puddles in a field – into a place much more woodsy.

“We are planting an enormous amount of trees,” Berndt said. “We are upgrading (the wetlands) to be more like a forest. It will be much richer area. It will feel fundamentally different.”

The site has been a prairie home to early Native American tribes, a farmhouse and now a school. That history prompted school district officials to hire Archaeological Investigations Northwest Inc. to monitor the site in case any artifacts are uncovered during construction.

“That is fairly unusual to have a monitor for the site,” Dacey said.

The school will be a significant upgrade to Lacamas Heights Elementary, a pod-like structure that is more than 50 years old.

“It is a great opportunity,” said Jeff Snell, Camas School District’s superintendent. “It aligns with other schools and gives us greater capacity.”

Design Beyond Borders is a 91��Ƶ feature offering a look at the projects outside of Oregon being tackled by local architecture firms. To have your firm’s projects considered, contact 91��Ƶ architecture and engineering reporter Kent Hohlfeld at 503-802-7224 or khohlfeld@djcOregon.com.

The post Lacamas Lake Elementary School appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

The passage of Portland Public Schools‘ 2017 bond measure this month means a mint’s worth of new money in the construction ecosystem over the next half-decade. This will surely have a huge impact on the construction industry.

Growing firms are preparing to enter the public sector for the first time. Others are puzzling how to expand while contending with ongoing material and labor shortages.

The $790 million bond, the largest in state history, will include four big-ticket school projects, plus pipe and fixture replacements and other smaller, health and life safety improvements at all 90 PPS facilities. And it’s not the only bond out there; a number of programs passed in May or are ongoing from prior elections.

Professionals say it’s difficult to imagine work in the public sector – which is already cruising – slowing any time before 2020.

“2019 is going to be a pretty busy year; we’re going to be hot and heavy at that point,” said Brian Shoemaker, senior project manager for P&C Construction. “What’s going to be interesting and challenging for us is just managing all that work.”

Major builder Andersen Construction will likely go after one of the bond’s big-ticket projects, according to Senior Project Manager Erin Storlie. Tackling a catalog of projects with diverse funding mechanisms helps ensure long-term stability. Andersen even recently got into the development game at the behest of third-generation president Joel Andersen.

Private development deals come together in seemingly myriad permutations, whereas bond money is set aside for specific projects. That’s one reason to pursue public work, Storlie said. Another is the company is seeing fewer private job opportunities – specifically housing.

“It’s nice that something else is coming up when something else is kind of receding a little bit,” Storlie said. “This fits well with our model of having a backlog of real stable work.”

Midsize companies like P&C, which does about half its work in the K-12 sector, will try to expand while battling ongoing and extensive labor and material shortages. In particular, the firm reports difficulty finding professionals with around five to seven years of experience.

“It’s easy to find new people coming out of school, inexperienced people, both on the construction and design side,” Shoemaker said. “And you can also find those seasoned, experienced people that have 15-years-plus, because they’ve weathered the recession. It’s that gap in between that we’re having trouble finding.”

An abundance of work has led to material scarcity and scheduling headaches. Lately, manufacturers are having trouble getting gypsum to make drywall.

“But it’s not limited to one product,” he said. “It’s just that lead times are getting longer. What used to take six to eight weeks, now takes 12 to 14 weeks.”

With so much work now available, firms can be choosy with regard to project owners. P&C prefers an owner that embraces the construction manager-general contractor delivery method. About 90 percent of its volume is performed this way. And firms like hard-bid specialist Todd Construction will have greater freedom either to stick to its established business model, or branch out into CM-GC (which it also has experience with).

Todd Construction is wrapping up work on Faubion School in Northeast Portland, collaborating with PPS and Concordia University, which borders the school. The experience has been a good one, vice president Ken Dixon said, meaning the firm, which prioritizes working with a good team, will pursue more PPS work.

Several small and midsize contractors said their participation in the 2017 program will hinge on the “manageability” of the bid packages. Packages too large may present unappealing risk for some companies; those too small may not be worth the effort.

“We’ve got to do a good study to get those down to manageable packages,” said Ken Fisher, program manager for Heery, owner’s representative for PPS’ 2012 bond. “But then it comes down to what’s the definition of ‘manageable,’ and what’s that sweet spot for some of these contractors?”

What’s unique about PPS’ 2017 bond – and the reason it is so large – is the sizable sum dedicated to health and life safety upgrades across the district. Around $150 million will be spread around for spot fixes at the district’s 90 facilities (the remaining $640 million will go to the four major projects.)

For years the district’s approach apparently was to select a few large builders and leave it to them to spread the wealth among their sphere of subcontractors, according to Todd Hess, president of Todd Hess Construction. This left a lot of people feeling left out.

“The feedback that the industry has given them is they really need to break it up in smaller pieces that are more approachable to more companies,” he said. “If they heed that advice, I think a lot more companies will be able to get some of that work.”

PPS is preparing to release an RFP to prequalify firms to bid on job order proposals for water pipe and fixture replacement and potential partial pipe replacement districtwide. This could help get smaller firms in on the action, according to Emily Courtnage, director of contracting and purchasing for PPS.

The district is still providing students at many facilities bottled water due to fear of lead in the drinking water pipes.

“The 2017 bond will get us off bottled water,” Courtnage said.

Another way the district hopes to get more small firms to participate is by encouraging large firms to partner with smaller ones. A well-known example is large builder Andersen Construction partnering with Colas Construction, a large minority-owned firm. That joint venture is nearly ready to break ground on the modernization of Grant High School.

The district has equity goals intended to get smaller firms to participate and grow larger. For projects over $200,000, builders have to comply with the district’s workforce equity requirements. That means 20 percent of qualified hours must be worked by apprentices.

Prime contractors also must meet PPS’ lofty business equity goal of 18 percent of total dollars going to COBID-certified firms (COBID is Oregon’s catch-all term for businesses that are woman- or minority-owned, are emerging small businesses or owned by a service-disabled military veteran).

It’s likely these goals will remain merely aspirations throughout the 2017 program. The minority participation is at about 50 percent achievement on the 2012 bond, said to be due to the volume of work available to firms and the relatively small number of COBID firms available to do the work.

The post Back to schools appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

The partnership between Faubion School and Concordia University started by proximity. Faubion, a pre-kindergarten through eighth grade school in Northeast Portland, has been located since the 1950s across the street from Concordia, which has offered a four-year college curriculum since the 1970s.

Then, about eight years ago, students in Concordia’s College of Education thought to visit Faubion to build teaching experience. A $49 million project funded by the 2012 Portland Public Schools bond is helping fuse the two institutions even further – by literally adding a wing of Concordia onto a new Faubion now being built by Todd Construction.

“We haven’t found another school of this kind where it’s a university program fully integrated with an elementary school,” said Erik Gerding, PPS‘ capital project director. “Here, their classrooms will literally be on the same hall.”

Joint venture

Officials call the Concordia-Faubion educational initiative “3 to Ph.D,” with the “3” representing the third trimester of pregnancy.

The partnership started out one-way, with it primarily benefiting the college students, according to Gary Withers, Concordia’s chief strategic relations officer. Some colleges of education have teaching “laboratories” to help their students develop as teachers. It’s an approach similar to the one used by a teaching hospital like Oregon Health & Science University.

After Concordia established a beachhead at Faubion, members of its Athlete Corps – varsity athletes of all majors – started volunteering at recess. They brought “hundreds” of new kid-focused games, and effectively ended the Darwinian free-for-all.

“They pretty much got rid of all office referrals and discipline,” Withers said.

The relationship grew, and when the 2012 PPS bond was being written, Concordia came forward to offer to help pay for a new facility and integrate its College of Education with Faubion, and other community aid organizations.

This arrangement presented an interesting challenge for the designer – Bora Architects – and the project’s Design Advisory Group. The vision called for a structure with multiple uses – offices, health clinic, elementary school – and features not found at other schools. There are areas for kids to take showers and clean their clothes. The dean’s office and those of program directors are next door to the principal and Faubion administrators. The design incorporates heightened security measures, like high-tech cameras and a key-card entry system.

Also unique are the faculty studios, which will be shared by Faubion teachers and Concordia faculty.

“The idea is there’s a lot more collaboration,” said Ayana Horn, project coordinator for PPS.

And lots of mental energy went into engineering for seismic soundness. The new Faubion is being built in and around eight shear walls, some held by footers 40 feet by 40 feet, and so full of rebar “you could hardly fit any concrete in,” according to Darren Lee, senior construction manager for owner’s representative Heery.

A school-based health clinic will be located on the ground floor. The college paid for the area, and the partnership is finalizing a management agreement with an undisclosed entity to run it.

Trillium Family Services will operate mental health counseling, with a specialist contracted for the first two years. A “food club” sponsored by Pacific Foods and Whole Foods, will sell food to high-need community members at prices that essentially cover only transportation costs.

“There’s a pretty amazing need out there,” Gerding said.

A demonstration kitchen near the cafeteria will be used for cooking classes. Those programs are often provided to high school-aged children, but administrators have learned the lessons are equally valuable to Faubion students.

“It’s bringing life skills to middle school kids,” Gerding said. “Sometimes we have seventh- (and) eighth-graders go home and they’re the ones who are cooking food for their siblings.”

A fresh start

Right now, the replacement project is about halfway through its two-year timeline. The focus now is on completing installation of the interior framing and mechanical, electrical and plumbing elements before more precipitation falls.

The Faubion project is one of four big ones funded by the $482 million bond. The others are modernizations of Franklin, Roosevelt and Grant high schools. Faubion, Franklin and Roosevelt are active projects, and on track to open in fall 2017, according to district officials. Grant is in design.

The old Faubion was afflicted by problems common to older schools – leaky roof, lead, asbestos and seismic concerns. Officials felt it best to demolish and start over. Construction of a whole new facility also settled some community members’ nerves, said Ken Fisher, program manager for Lake Oswego-based Heery.

“You can be absolutely sure there will be none of those problems,” he said. “Everything’s going well. We’re on schedule to open (in fall 2017). Demolition went great.”

The project team is targeting a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold rating, so around 90 percent of demolished materials were recycled, some creatively. An old sequoia tree that had to be removed is being made into benches, tables and other furniture. Like at other bond-funded projects, the school’s old logo from the middle of its basketball court is being preserved in the new building.

The old Faubion School served one last function for its community before it came down. First responders from about 10 agencies used the building for training – smoking it out to test firefighters in realistic emergency conditions, and otherwise allowing agencies to run roughshod over it for a few weeks. The project has also necessitated the removal of three adjacent homes owned by Concordia (one remains to be moved).

But before any of that could happen, Faubion students had to relocate to Tubman Middle School near the Lloyd District. And before that, Tubman had to be updated (using bond money).

The design process was unusually long for Faubion – 16 months and dozens of community and parent meetings. The finished product will be an airy and spacious building illuminated by light wells and an entryway atrium open 50 feet to the top. Classrooms will have some of the best views in the PPS system. Those on the top two floors will face three Cascade Range mountains – Hood, St. Helens and Adams.

The 133,000-square-foot structure is three stories except for Concordia’s two-story south wing. The new play field will stay in about the same spot, but feature a unique concrete path that’s more like a sidewalk than a track. A play area in the rear of the site will have an interactive water feature. The team decided to use lots of solar to achieve LEED gold – ample photovoltaic cells on the roof and a solar water heating system.

The project started at $48 million and then escalated to $49 million. Concordia’s contribution is $15.5 million (all donations). Hard construction costs total $37 million. It was a hard-bid project with a two-step process. Five firms submitted qualified packages, with Todd Construction eventually winning. The contractor has had between 70 and 90 people working on the project since it began.

The site, at Northeast Dekum Street and 30th Avenue, was once a farm. Excavators have found evidence of this in bottles now arrayed outside one of the job trailers on-site. There’s no tower crane; crews are using two mobile, mud-caked lifts.

“Remember all this mud when you come back on opening day,” Fisher said.

Faubion School replacement

Size: 133,000 square feet

Cost: $49 million

Owner’s representative: Heery International

Contractor: Todd Construction

Architect: Bora Architects

Excavation: Coffman Excavation

Steel framing: Volk Steel Erectors

Roofing: Snyder

Mechanical: Robert Lloyd Sheet Metal

Electrical: Prairie Electric

Plumbing: Tapani Plumbing

Metal siding: Martin Sheet Metal

CMU and brickwork: Klinger Masonry

Landscaping: Dennis’ 7 Dees

The post Proximity to partnership appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.

, a retail /restaurant complex, is being built on a 5-acre lot in Lake Oswego by Gramor Development. General contractor Todd Construction is building the Mackenzie-designed project, which includes over 60,000 square feet of space, over half of which has already been leased.

Six buildings are being constructed around a central parking area and an open-air pavilion which will house Parsons Farms, a local produce seller which had a stand on the site before construction began. There will also be a pair of wooden pedestrian bridges, walkway systems and natural riparian areas. Work on the project began this past summer and is slated for completion next month, at which point tenant improvements will begin. The center’s grand opening will be held next April.

The post Photos: Lake Oswego gaining retail complex appeared first on Daily Journal of Commerce.