The 2011 EcoDistricts Summit was a solid success with many new ideas shared and relationships formed. In addition to SERA’s involvement in four of the panel presentations [see below], a number of SERA staff members attended the summit to take in the latest in EcoDistrict thinking. SERA Project Designer Riggs Skepnek produced many of the visualizations & […]
This is the third and final(?) installment in our series on the design, function, and future of Portland’s O’Bryant Square. To catch up on the conversation, be sure to read through the first two segments: Part 1 – An overview of the park’s history and some of its key challenges Part 2 – A look […]
Fall is upon us in Portland, and next week brings the highly anticipated EcoDistricts Summit. There are many fantastic speakers and presentations this year, and below you will find the events involving various SERA personalities. Come say “Hi” if you plan to attend, and spread the word… Wednesday, October 26th 10:45 a.m. – 12:45 […]
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 […]