As sustainable construction has evolved and our whole industry has made dramatic improvements around energy use and water management, we’ve learned to look more broadly—this is one of the biggest ideas behind SERA’s Sustainability Action Plan and in this latest podcast it extends to embodied carbon—at all the impacts involved with erecting a building, sourcing […]
This month, the Clackamas County Board of County Commissioners accepted the work of the SERA-led Park Avenue Community Project and approved the effort to move forward into a code amendment process. This is a major success for a community that over the last decade has undergone multiple previous plan efforts never to be approved. Community […]
Recently, a crack squad of designers and architects in SERA’s Workplace studio took part in an international design competition that asked competitors to envision different aspects of the return to work in an office building environment. (Spoiler alert: we won.) The specific area that we chose to investigate deeply is the first-floor lobby and shared […]
A connection to nature allows humans to feel safe, healthy, and productive. We design for human experience and take responsibility for making the people who eventually move through our spaces feel those same things. So the topic of biophilia gets a lot of attention at SERA, whether we’re talking about a new building or interior […]
May you live in interesting times. — Dubious blessing of apocryphal Chinese origin As I write this, the US has surpassed 260,000 Covid-19 deaths, Oregon continues to hit grim milestones for new daily records for both cases and active hospitalizations, and new closures and lockdowns, necessary to contain the spread of the virus, are again […]
At SERA, we published our first Sustainability Action Plan (PDF) in 2011, with multiple updates since then. Earlier this year, we published our most recent—and extensive—version, which includes some new topics and a great deal of information about both the latest thinking in the industry, and some of the recent work we’ve done which explores […]
We’re excited to announce that the nonprofit housing group First Community Housing has selected SERA and our partners Lendlease to design and build their most ambitious affordable housing project to date: a 365-unit LEED-Platinum development near the San Jose Diridon Station. Named McEvoy Apartments, the project will be built using an innovative mass timber frame […]
For her capstone university project, SERA designer Lindsey Naganuma collaborated on a library concept for Portland’s Cully neighborhood — one that builds community, celebrates diverse identities, and challenges how residents learn and share information. Her conceptual design is now a 2020 SEED Award winner, recognized by the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), the NAACP, […]
Last week, the IIDA Oregon chapter awarded the Hyatt Centric Portland top honors by naming it the Best in Hotels at the 2020 Design Excellence Awards celebration! Held virtually this year, the event recognized projects and professionals enhancing interior design across the state. Also: IIDA Oregon Recognizes Emerging Professional Laura Kienlen SERA designed the Hyatt […]
Each year, the IIDA Oregon chapter recognizes a junior designer who has advanced interior design in Oregon through their passion for design and persistent reach for excellence. With a groundswell of backing from her colleagues at SERA, IIDA Oregon honored Interior Designer Laura Kienlen with the 2020 Emerging Professional Award! A pivotal member of our […]