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 […]

In recent years, SERA’s Housing studio added many new faces to our team, including a new Oakland studio to serve clients in The Bay Area. With new talent and expanded geography, the time felt right to revisit some of the goals our studio set a few years back. I saw a unique opportunity for a […]

Every year at SERA, we have an internal event to celebrate the efforts we take to make a more sustainable world. And over the years, we have had some very ambitious projects deliver on their sustainability goals such as EGWW, the Erb Memorial Union, Savier Street Flats and many others. But in celebrating our sustainability efforts […]

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 […]

Working here at SERA, sustainability is a word that gets used a lot. We talk about it for our projects. We discuss in the products we specify. We use it in our personal lives outside the office. It is so ingrained with the current culture of architecture and design, especially here in Portland, that I […]

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 […]

Portland, Ore. – The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE) recognized the Collaborative Life Sciences Building and Skourtes Tower (CLSB) for its sustainable architecture and ecological design that serve to protect and enhance the environment. CLSB is one of only ten projects in the nation to receive this honor […]

Last year, doors reopened at the Edith Green-Wendell Wyatt Federal building (EGWW) following an extensive redesign to bring efficiency, light and life back into the 40-year-old office tower. On Friday, at AIA Portland’s award celebration, the chapter recognized the building with both a Merit award for design and the 2030 Challenge Design Award for sustainability in the […]

Reshaping suburbia suggests a shift toward mixed use, green buildings, complete streets, densification and transit oriented development… in other words, greener, more efficient forms of suburban “hardware.” While these strategies may lead towards greater efficiency, transformative change will require deeper intervention beyond re-forming and efficiency. Suburban areas must be re-imagined as whole communities animated by […]

At SERA, our work in the hospitality industry focuses on blending design, guest comfort, operational efficiency, and sustainable initiatives. About two years ago, I was talking to someone from a major hotel brand, who thought that green Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment (FF&E) added an extra 10% to the costs of a hotel refresh project. My […]