Insights

Woodshedding to Spark Inspiration

Recently, a large group of us at SERA sat down for lunch together and discussed what it takes to create valuable and innovative design. Two main threads emerged. First, thoughtful design takes time where true mindfulness can be engaged at a deep level; time where all of our knowledge and skills can be carefully applied […]

Project Spotlight: Argyle Winery Tasting House

by | September 25, 2015 0 Architecture, Interior Design

This month’s grand opening of the new Argyle Winery Tasting House marks a major update for the 28-year-old winery in Dundee, Oregon. Working with Argyle, SERA set out to create a world-class wine tasting experience that preserves the history of the site and builds on Argyle’s spirit of evolution and reinvention. The new Tasting House […]

The Art of Sketching at SERA

by | September 8, 2015 4 Ideas

Earlier this year, SERA hosted its second employee-led sketching series. As co-instructor Jeff Roberts explained it, “Our goals were to engage staff across each of our studios, to help them improve how they convey design solutions, and to get outside and have fun.” Each class in the series built on lessons of the prior, requiring ‘students’ […]

Bike Commute Challenged.

by | August 25, 2015 1 Ideas

Note: Next week, SERA Architects will join workplaces across the region for the Bicycle Transportation Alliance’s Bike Commute Challenge. A symbol of our dedication to sustainability, the challenge to bike to work every day is often a motivator for new and recreational cyclists to try commuting for the first time. For some, it’s the discovery of a new passion.  Biking for […]

The 2015 Sustainable Action Celebration: Transformation

by | April 27, 2015 0 Ideas, Sustainability

Every year around Earth Day, SERA invites staff, clients and partners to explore our commitment to sustainability over the last year, and to see how we can make advances in our industry. The Sustainable Action Celebration is a SERA tradition in its ninth year, spurred by an extensive backcasting of the firm that underscored sustainability as a chief tenet behind our business policies, practices […]

SERA Architects Expands Presence in the Bay Area

by | January 15, 2015 0 News + Announcements

Clark Brockman, Principal with SERA Architects, is moving to Silicon Valley to begin the process of establishing a SERA branch office there, supporting the firm’s growing body of work in the Bay Area. SERA is currently beginning to recruit new staff members to work in a Silicon Valley office. Job openings are currently advertised on […]

Portland Business Journal: Portland’s SERA Takes Design Honors with Net Zero ‘Flourish’ (Photos)

A Portland architecture firm has earned a nod from a competition to design projects that produce no new waste. SERA Architects won special recognition in the fourth annual Architecture at Zero competition. For its 2014 edition, Architecture at Zero challenged participants to design an affordable housing project for an existing lot in Oakland, California.

a photo of the CLSB atrium with a LEED Platinum logo

Rethinking LEED with the Collaborative Life Sciences Building

by | December 4, 2014 0 Architecture, Sustainability

When California-based CO Architects paired with SERA on the OUS/OHSU Collaborative Life Sciences Building and OHSU Skourtes Tower, they sought the sustainable design expertise and project management behind a growing portfolio of built LEED projects. Fast forward to last October and the U.S. Green Building Council certifies CLSB as LEED-NC 2009 Platinum. As one of only […]

Competition Drives SERA to Net Positive

by | November 21, 2014 2 Architecture, Ideas

Last month, a team at SERA finished the design of an apartment building that produces more energy than it requires. By using existing technology in an innovative way, they’ve created a model for future development they call Flourish. With all the hallmarks of a big firm project, Flourish is actually a submission for Architecture at Zero, an […]