How would one go about describing the range of issues surrounding our world’s cities? Where would one even begin to portray the urbanization of our globe and the people influencing this aspect of civilization? Filmmaker Gary Hustwit’s most recent documentary, ‘Urbanized,’ rises as the new standard in these efforts. A few of us from SERA […]
September brought a wide range of topics to our attention. We hope you enjoy these highlights… + Architecture Going Well Beyond Biomimicry | The Architects Newspaper Biomimicry and biophilic concepts are becoming central to how we approach many of our design challenges at SERA. While biomimicry and biophilia are admittedly esoteric terms, the concepts are […]
Why do we enjoy certain parks over others? Is the magic in the design or are there other factors to consider? Welcome to Part 2 of our series on Portland’s O’Bryant Square, where we’re asking what it would take to improve this infamous urban park. In Part 1, we gave an overview of the park’s […]
7:03 AM. Dawson Park. Jeff Hosea and I cut across the dewy grass on our bikes to a small white tent set up on the northwest corner of the park. There stands an apron-clad Jacob Lupton, spatula in hand, gently coaxing whipped eggs into the maw of a heavily buttered cast iron pan. Red and […]
Nestled in the core of downtown Portland, Oregon sits a tired city park called O’Bryant Square. With a checkered history and an uncertain future, we’re going to take a look at this infamous piece of the Portland cityscape in a three part series to address the looming question: What would it take to “fix” this […]
When SERA Architects bid to design the Collaborative Life Sciences Building for the Oregon University System, the firm knew the project timeline was short. Design started in May, and the building needs to be ready for Portland State University staff by July 2013. Donald Eggleston, SERA president and principal, believed there was only one way […]
In the midst of the daily madness here at SERA, a number of interesting reads have been passed around the Urban Design + Planning Studio. Here are a few we thought you might like to dig into as well. + Denmark’s Road Map for Fossil Fuel Independence | Solutions Journal Responding to massively complex issues […]
Harvard economist Edward Glaeser’s new book Triumph of the City provides interesting observations and insights into the workings of cities, but the book’s most notable (and controversial) argument is that regulatory constraints limiting building height and preserving historic districts have crippled cities in terms of their ability to provide affordable housing. An entire chapter of the […]
Tim Smith, Principal and Director of Urban Design + Planning at SERA, was honored to speak at the recent TEDx event held at Portland’s Concordia University. Click below to view his presentation. In the ever-important (yet increasingly cluttered!) conversation about “sustainability,” what are the key innovations that are showing us the way forward? Are more […]
Efforts by American corporations to leverage social programs have been on the uptick in recent years. One of the more recent initiatives is by Walgreens, the Illinois-based drug store chain that has over 7,500 stores in the U.S. Walgreens has implemented a new rewards program to encourage customers to integrate more exercise – specifically, walking […]