UPDATE: For photos of the event, visit our Facebook page. On Friday, September 16, SERA staff will launch a temporary lounge outside of the nonprofit p:ear for this year’s Park(ing) Day. A standard 8-foot-by-20-foot parking spot on NW Flanders at 6th will be transformed from asphalt into a folding topography of seating, plants and grassy groundcover for […]
Last week, in our latest session of DIG-IT (that’s Design Interest Group – Integrated Thursdays), we had a grand time discussing and trying our hand at model making! Today’s design professionals increasingly learn and work digitally. Computer modeling, rendering, and design are great for certain activities and generating data. But design isn’t always enhanced with a […]
Transparency is hot right now. And for good reason. Exciting new developments like the mindful MATERIALS Collaborative, which provide access to transparency information across a variety of manufacturers and products, are continuing to foster discussions between manufacturers and the design community. During this year’s Hospitality Design Expo, Alison Bane and I presented on Transparency as […]
I recently attended a Living Future Conference workshop in Seattle where we explored the Danish concept of Hygge. To the Danish, Hygge (pronounced ‘Hue-gah’) can mean many things, including a calming environment, comfort, warmth, friends, home and nourishment. We were first introduced to this concept by leaving the busy behind – our bags, phones and […]
Many designers, and their clients, want to know the contents and potential hazards of the products we put into use every day. With today’s nationwide launch of mindful MATERIALS, what we put into our homes, schools and workplaces can be more transparent than ever. mindful MATERIALS is an initiative developed by the design industry to […]
Last Saturday, team SERA Velo participated in Oregon’s annual Reach the Beach event and raised $1,698 for the American Lung Association. Our riders’ cumulative miles exceeded 1,600. Early starters in Beaverton were greeted with the traditionally coolish air and moist skies that signify spring in the Portland area. A few more riders joined the team […]
By now, all of the city’s major publications have covered our founder’s passing with great deference. Portland City Hall even lowered their flag to the news of George “Bing” Sheldon’s passing on April 30. Mayor Charlie Hales called Bing “a man who foresaw, protected, and shaped the city we love.” His memorial is set for […]
Despite what Howard Roark and Ted Mosby imply, most buildings are not the product of a sole architect’s vision at the drawing board. Rather, a design is created by the architectural team and engineers, who hand over the permitted documents to the contractor to build. This is how it’s planned, but what really goes on? […]
This Earth Day, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) recognizes the Edith Green – Wendell Wyatt Federal Building with this year’s Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten Plus Award for reaching impressive resource efficiency following its 2009-2013 sustainable modernization. Extensive aftercare studies show that the building at 1220 SW 3rd Ave. boasts 55% energy […]
Each year, we share the sustainability achievements of our projects and our office operations with the Sustainable Action Celebration. Clients and partners join SERA’s staff to celebrate that progress, and to take a look at our goals for the coming year. This year’s theme was Cross Pollination, where we explored our advancements studio-by-studio, from healthy […]