PROJECT: Oregon City Engineering & Operations Center

LOCATION: 13895 Fir St., Oregon City

SIZE: 26,000-square-foot office and 53,000-square-foot warehouse

COST: $12.8 million

START DATE: September 2020

COMPLETION DATE: November 2021

OWNER: city of Oregon City

OWNER’S REPRESENTATIVE: PlanB Consultancy

ARCHITECT: Scott | Edwards Architecture

ENGINEERS: WDY Inc. (structural), Harper Houf Peterson Righellis (civil, landscaping), Interface Engineering (mechanical)

GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Emerick Construction

OTHER CONSULTANTS: JLD Cost Consulting

SIGNIFICANCE OF PROJECT: Oregon City’s Engineering and Operations Center is now open to the public. The facility houses Public Works engineering, Public Works operations, geographic information systems, facility maintenance and the parks maintenance division.

The 4.7-acre property, formerly occupied by General Distributing Inc., was purchased in April 2019 for $7.1 million. Environmental, structural and mechanical inspections took place, and then crews broke ground in September 2020.

The renovation of the existing building included seismic reinforcement. The facility is considered essential because it houses emergency response personnel.

“The site is dramatically different, considering we kept the structure intact,” Scott | Edwards Architecture project manager Brandon Dole stated in a press release. “We are proud the project took the route of reusing the space with modifications to updates to fit the needs of Public Works now and in the future.”

Modifications to the office building created reception areas, a customer service counter, a training room, a conference room, enclosed offices, open workspaces, storage space, and a break room. More than 8,500 square feet is dedicated to a fleet workshop, a vehicle wash-down area, and indoor storage for materials and equipment. The lot includes fuel storage with pumps, and all existing warehouse facilities are equipped with heat and fire suppression.

“When Emerick first learned of this project, we were excited for the opportunity to be part of a project of this significance in Oregon City because of the impact it was going to have for the community,” Jordan Fell, Emerick Construction’s director of special projects, stated in the news release. “Issues are inherent to every construction project, but this one was extra challenging and unpredictable. (We) had to navigate through construction while dealing with COVID, wildfires, ice storms, and supply chain issues. Through all of this, we were still able to deliver this project on time – and that’s not a small feat.”

“Building Blocks” spotlights noteworthy projects either under construction or approaching the start of construction. To submit a project for consideration, please visit: djcoregon.com/building-blocks.

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It hasn’t been an entirely smooth process, with several delays holding up installation of Tree Farm‘s signature elements. But the 54 steel tree planters that give Guerrilla Development‘s latest mixed-use project its name have finally been put into place.

A crew of ironworkers from Cascade Erectors completed that task recently when it installed the remaining planters on the building’s north and west sides. The six-story, 41,000-square-foot creative office building now stands out – especially with a bold, flowery exterior hand-painted by design consultant Jeanne Mare Werle.

General contractor Pro-Teck Construction is in charge of the Brett Schulz Architect-designed project on Southeast Third Avenue, near the westbound side of the Morrison Bridge’s.

Designers worked with WDY Inc. to create what architect Ben Carr called an “exoskeleton of tube steel” to bear the weight of the planters, which each weigh over a metric ton. This exoskeleton, however, is designed so it bears only the planters’ weight and not the weight of the surrounding building. Those plates then support the steel planters in their entirety.

The remainder of the building is being constructed with a standard slab-on-grade foundation supporting six stories of wood framing. The building is designed as a cube, providing visual symmetry from both near and far.

Crews now are wrapping up window installation and other rough-in tasks. On the interior, drywall installers are finishing their work ahead of painting and other finishes. Delivery was initially scheduled for this fall, but now won’t occur until sometime in 2020.

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A downtown Portland landmark is finally receiving a new use: Japanese bookstore chain Kinokuniya has taken up residence in the former Guild Theatre space. The store, which opened last month at 829 S.W. Ninth Ave., is the result of a vast renovation in which the space was stripped to its bare bones and then transformed into a blend of modern and historic elements.

Kinokuniya recruited LRS Architects to reimagine the iconic venue as a retail experience, and not just a smattering of shelves and merchandise. Russell Construction served as the general contractor and WDY Inc. was the structural engineer.

“It was just a big, empty void,” LRS interior designer Jena Sinclair said. “You had to try to fill it enough, but not too crazy, like it was forced.”

Kinokuniya and the Guild Theatre both opened for business in 1927. The theater eventually closed in 2006 and remained unused until Kinokuniya moved in.

The downtown Portland location is Kinokuniya’s 13th in the United States, and 32nd outside of Japan, where it has more than 50 stores. Apart from a shop within an Uwajimaya grocery store in Beaverton, the nearest Kinokuniya stores are in San Francisco and Seattle.

Kinokuniya America is dedicated to operating stores that blend with their surroundings. For the downtown Portland store, LRS associate Ingrid Hoffman said the company wanted to create a space with hints of Japanese aesthetics, but also appeal to a wide American audience.

“One of the big priorities we had was to create a bookstore that felt like a Portland bookstore,” Hoffman said. “Portlanders don’t like chains; they like to buy local.”

The store’s aesthetics reflect the design mission. Shelves, counters and displays of clean lines and wood are contrasted by the gritty, industrial texture of the walls and exposed ceiling – the last remnants of original construction.

The building is attached to an adjacent one, with stricter fire codes usually reserved for high-rises. The team didn’t want to build a ceiling, so fireproofing material had to be applied to beams at the top of the room. This strategy was more difficult, but Hoffman said it was important to keep the skylights and overhead windows intact.

“Part of the charm of the space is that it’s such an interesting volume,” Hoffman said. “We needed to figure out a way of actually using the whole volume.”

One of the building’s few remaining structural elements was a concrete staircase that leads to an exit door. That path now leads to a mezzanine, which was built to provide space for restrooms and offices. It’s also a nook for the first-story café, which serves Japanese tea and snacks.

The fire codes required the mezzanine be built as a freestanding structure, totally separate from and unsupported by the former theater’s concrete walls. While gaps are hidden by a seamless wooden cover that skirts along the walls, the mezzanine is separated by six inches.

Despite the challenges that come with such an old structure, the design team found opportunities within, as seen in the supporting columns that connect the floor and roof. Instead of letting these pillars interfere with the space, designers hung pegboards on them so they now serve as merchandise displays.

Also, rather than merely set up some shelves with products and call it good, Sinclair said the intention was always to take customers on a sort of journey that leads them through the aisles. The path follows the floor in a counterclockwise motion, based on the angles and placement of the cash wrap and walls, with hope that visitors will then see more sections of products.

At the top of the mezzanine upstairs, manga and comics sit in the open space uninhabited by offices and restrooms. With merchandise catered more to children, it is the one part of the store that is more playful.

And alongside that concrete staircase, the project team built a large, terraced set of wooden step seating, decorated with cushions and plants. There, visitors can relax, look out at the floor and take in the work that went into reviving a downtown landmark.

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A renovation project is under way in Northwest Portland to repurpose a pair of 1940s-era industrial buildings into a creative office space. R&H Construction began work earlier this year on the LEVER Architecture-designed Redfox Commons, which will feature approximately 55,000 square feet of divisible office space intended to reflect the industrial character of the neighborhood.

The two buildings, formerly known collectively as The Old Freeman Factory, are located along Northwest Wilson Street between 26th and 27th avenues, one block east of the Montgomery Park building. They will be joined by a glass-enclosed breezeway that will serve as the building’s main entry and reception area. The buildings’ old-growth timber posts, beams and joists have been sandblasted and cleaned, and will remain exposed as part of the industrial look.

Mezzanines will be constructed in both of the buildings, and ample daylight penetration will be afforded by a series of skylights. The building will be clad in weathering steel that will take on a reddish color with exposure to the elements. The project is being built by L&L Investment Partners in a joint venture with California-based Belay Investment Group/CalSTRS.

The project team also includes structural engineer KPFF Consulting Engineers, civil engineers WDY Structural + Civil Engineering, and landscape architect Shapiro Didway. The property is being represented by JLL. Completion of the core and shell is expected by the end of this year.

Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to reflect the correct owner and broker.

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The Structural Engineers Association of Oregon has released the names of the winning projects in the 2017 SEAO Excellence in Structural Engineering awards competition.

The annual awards recognize outstanding structural engineering efforts that feature at least one team member associated with SEAO. This year’s nominated projects were selected by a panel of judges based on criteria that included creativity and complexity of structural design, efficient use of materials, successful fulfillment of owner/client needs, and suitability of the structure for its environment.

The Titus Will adaptive reuse project, submitted by WDY Inc., was selected as the winner in the renovation and retrofit category. The 50,000-square-foot, two-story structure underwent a full seismic upgrade because of occupancy changes. The addition of moment frames to the seismic system allowed an existing large storefront to remain open. The project owner/developer was Tourmaline Capital and Irwin Development Group. The project architect was Lundin Cole Architects, and the general contractor was Korsmo Construction.

The award for buildings over $10 million went to the Q21 mixed-use project, which was submitted by Nishkian Dean. The seven-story, 202,000-square-foot mixed-use structure featured unique columns made from two 12-sided tapered steel sections. Welded together at the center, the sections created double tapered columns that formed the number XXI. The project owner/developer was Rosan Inc. The project architect was YBA Architects, and the general contractor was Andersen Construction.

The Athey Creek Christian Fellowship project, submitted by VLMK Engineering + Design, won the award for new buildings under $10 million. The judges gave the project and its engineering team top scores for overcoming a major hurdle to successfully locate concrete panels, ranging in height from 34 feet to 37 feet, on top of 12-inch-wide, cast-in-place concrete walls. The project owner was Athey Creek Christian Fellowship. The project team included David Bissett Architect and general contractor Perlo Construction.

In the special-use structures category, the winning project was the C-Tran Fourth Plain Bus Rapid Transit Corridor and Maintenance Facility expansion and renovation. The project holds the distinction as the first bus rapid transit system in Oregon or Southwest Washington. The project owner was C-Tran. The project team included Equilibrium Engineers, which submitted the project, PIVOT Architecture and Waterleaf Architecture, and general contractors Emerick Construction, Colf Construction and Tapani.

The Portland Japanese Garden’s Cultural Crossing was selected as the jurors’ favorite. The expansion project added four buildings, a site bridge and several site retaining walls. The owner/developer was the Portland Japanese Garden. Architects for the project were Kengo Kuma & Associates and Hacker. Hoffman Construction was general contractor.

The judging panel for the awards included Eric Thomas of the Portland Bureau of Development Services; Thomas Miller of the Oregon State University School of Civil and Construction Engineering; Judith Sheine of the University of Oregon School of Architecture and Environment; and Stephanie Basalyga, editor of the Daily Journal of Commerce.

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