2017 - Mayer Reed

Happy Holidays!

This year’s holiday greeting is inspired by traditions old and new. In Mayer/Reed’s early years, we created a series of holiday cards by photographing an object, manipulating the image and overlaying a message. The process, tuned to the tools of the day, was driven by our interest in object, form and the process of making.For 2017 we revisited this approach and took delight in light and shadow studies created by twinkle lights illuminating a scale model of a new M/R holiday tradition – a festive lobby art installation.

Wishing you a magical holiday season filled with your own traditions – old and new.

Site Renovations at the Oregon Convention Center Offer a New Welcome for Visitors

A new visitor experience, entertainment venue and entry sequence for the Oregon Convention Center are unanimously approved through the Portland Design Commission.Mayer/Reed’s design for the main entrance and northeast plaza will provide more active destinations within the public realm. The two plazas, along with an improved streetscape along MLK Blvd., invite visitors to enjoy a casual style of hospitality and a taste of the rich Oregon landscape typologies.Designed to accommodate new patterns of use in response to the new 600-room hotel across Holladay Street, the spaces feature a new digital information pylon, an outdoor event terrace, an amphitheater and programmable use space that’s open to the public. The contemporary design utilizes basalt stone, weathering steel, wood, a variety of informal plantings and incorporation of public art.

The new design is part of a $27 million project to update the interior and exterior of convention center led by LMN Architects for Metro. Mayer/Reed’s previous work at the Oregon Convention Center includes the award-winning Rain Garden.

Mayer/Reed Receives Two Honor Awards from ASLA Oregon

Two Mayer/Reed projects received awards during the November 3rd ASLA Oregon Annual Awards Soiree. Jurors recognized the Willamette Falls Riverwalk Concept Design with an Honor Award in the Planning and Analysis category. The concept design, developed by Snøhetta, Mayer/Reed and DIALOG, was celebrated for its sensitivity to environment, history and potential to initiate an urban recovery story that’s equally remarkable as the falls themselves. The client group is comprised of Metro, Oregon City, Clackamas County and the State of Oregon.

In the Communications category, Mayer/Reed and Portland Parks and Recreation received an Honor Award for the SE 150th & Division Park Master Plan. The jury appreciated how the creative, multi-cultural outreach and engagement efforts in one of Portland’s most culturally diverse neighborhoods led to a well-supported park design.

The ASLA Oregon Design Awards honor firms, individuals, and agencies responsible for outstanding works of landscape architecture that promote an enhanced quality of life in Oregon and beyond.

Bringing Color & Art to Youth Correctional Housing

It is not always clear when we start a project, how our work will unfold. In designing the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility East Housing, DLR Group brought us on to study how environmental graphics could support their design for positive human development. We understood the importance of bringing inspiration to a traditionally institutional and harsh facility.

For over a year, we collaborated with mural artist Blaine Fontana and led the process with incarcerated youth and Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) staff to find shared values. We heard what the young men are learning and their hopes for others who find themselves there. They contributed poems, stories, images and sketches as we all navigated sensitive topics such as cultural inclusiveness, respect and safety. I was impressed by their thoughtfulness and ability to express their ideas. Working with the youth and the dedicated OYA staff was an eye-opening experience unlike typical design undertakings.

Opening day was particularly heartwarming. The youth gave tours of the new facility, exuding pride as they told the mural stories. We hope that telling the mural story will continue to be a part of each cottage community.

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