Let’s not build another disconnected business park. We are all familiar with typical, highway-adjacent, suburbanized, business and industrial parks that feature monolithic, enclosed office buildings surrounded by networks of empty sidewalks, water-gobbling lawns, and acres of parking lots. Created during an era when planners thought activities should be separated physically, business parks assume that people […]
Trevor Parham is an artist, entrepreneur, investor, and founder of Oakstop, a Black-owned, Oakland-based, community-powered ecosystem of co-working and event spaces for entrepreneurs and communities of color. He is also a co-founder of the Oakland Black Business Fund, an investment platform focused on empowering Black businesses with capital, technical assistance, and growth strategies, which is […]
SERA Architects is spending the summer of 2022 relocating to our new Portland headquarters. Our new home is a healthy, flexible, seismically safe workplace in one of downtown Portland’s grandest historic buildings—and we’re making this move at an auspicious time. After more than two years of working from home, the whole world is reflecting on […]
We at SERA are thrilled to congratulate Tim Smith for achieving the planning profession’s highest honor by being named to the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) College of Fellows. AICP is Planning’s national authority for certification in the US, and their College of Fellows includes professionals who have not only done great project work, […]
SERA’s Principal group held a celebratory toast last week to announce 21 promotions at an array of levels across the firm. The promotions included five Associates, 10 Senior Associates, three Principals, and three newly created positions. The event was SERA’s first major in-person gathering since the onset of the pandemic, with live celebrations in both […]
Natasha Koiv, a Principal in SERA’s Portland office, recently announced her retirement after nearly 36 years with the firm. Natasha began her career as a member of the interiors team. After about 15 years, she made a move to SERA’s public practice, and then about eight years ago, she transitioned to become SERA’s director of […]
The West Coast has experienced an astonishing number of climate-related catastrophes in recent years. Wildfires created widespread devastation and smoke-choked air, atmospheric rivers resulted in extensive flooding, and a heat dome shattered records and resulted in a significant number of deaths. As architects, we know our work has a significant impact on the climate, and […]
Last week, AIA Oregon’s Oregon Architecture Awards recognized our Raleigh Slabtown project with a Citation Award in the Residential Architecture category. This year’s jurors said they were impressed not only by the structure overall, but by the way our team integrated the outside with the unique and luxe interiors. We’re honored! Raleigh Slabtown was designed […]
How does a design firm choose a new building? It’s the same challenge that faces any company, with the added wrinkle that, whereas another business might hire a project manager or designer to help them weed through the possibilities, understand their own needs clearly, and identify their best option, we’re our own consultant for that […]
In honor of Indigenous People’s Day on Monday, we want to recognize and show our respect for Native People that have understood for generations how to live in harmony with the land, water and all other living things. SERA has learned so much about tribal culture and world views from working with the Affiliated Tribes […]