Mayer/Reed, Author at Mayer Reed

Belmont Library Reopens as Multnomah County Library’s Final Major Project

A line of people waiting to enter Belmont Library on opening day

In mid-August, Multnomah County Library celebrated the reopening of Southeast Portland’s Belmont Library, marking a special milestone as completion of the final major project funded by the 2020 Library Capital Bond. Mayer/Reed designed and implemented the new signage and wayfinding system throughout all 19 major library projects including 3 new builds, 5 renovations/expansions and 11 refreshes to create cohesive, multilingual signage throughout the library district.

Eager patrons queued up to explore the new Bora-designed space (more than double the original footprint), its colorful art installations, expanded collections and community rooms—guided by fresh wayfinding signage. Congratulations to the Belmont community and all of Multnomah County!

Volunteering in the Landscape

A group of Mayer/Reed volunteers posing in the cleaned up landscape at Lincoln High School

Community service is an important Mayer/Reed value. We believe in giving back to our community and being stewards of our environment. During a recent outing, volunteers from Mayer/Reed got to work cleaning up the landscape at Lincoln High School.

A smiling volunteer holding the weeds she removed from the planting area

As landscape architect for the school, we put great care into making sure the densely programmed urban campus included green spaces with heritage trees and native plantings. We were happy to revisit the space together and put in a little elbow grease to make sure the landscape is healthy and thriving for the upcoming school year.

Portland is Ready to Transform its Relationship to the Willamette River

Momentum is building to transform downtown Portland’s relationship with the Willamette River. At the center of the conversation is the Central City Waterfront Urban Design Study, created by Mayer/Reed for the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. The study identifies opportunities for urban design interventions and redevelopment in the downtown core, presenting a vision for the waterfront and a menu of strategies—from tactical improvements to long-term projects—to guide public investment, encourage private development, support community initiatives and spark future collaboration.

A rendering of Naito Parkway with a west side promenade that supports pedestrian traffic and street seating. — Naito Parkway reimagined with a west side pedestrian promenade that supports adjacent businesses and residences.

A rendering of Salmon Street at night at the World Trade Center with artistic lighting in the skyway and colorful ground-plane graphics in the crosswalk — Artistic lighting under the skywalks of the World Trade Center on Salmon Street, making every night feel like the Portland Winter Light Festival.

A rendering of SW Morrison Street closed to vehicular traffic for a farmers market — Historic streetscapes on SW Yamhill and Morrison that extend to the waterfront, strengthening the identity of the Yamhill Historic District and creating space for events.

The study is gaining attention across the city—it was recently featured in Portland Monthly and presented to the AIA Oregon Urban Design Panel in March. In addition, Mayer/Reed Principal Shannon Simms is working closely with Design Portland to further the conversation with local leaders on reimagining downtown Portland. Stay tuned for future events and opportunities to get involved.

A New Concourse Revealed at SEA

Two images of the landmark "C" sign marking the C Councourse at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Image on the left is a detail that shows the wood-pattern.

The new C Concourse at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is officially open. The signature “C” welcomes travelers to the light-filled, three-level dining and retail expansion just in time for the World Cup in Seattle.

People and press fill the stadium seats beneath the signature wood ceiling during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the C Concourse expansion.

More than twice the size of the existing concourse, the transformative project led by Miller Hull and Woods Bagot features a grand stair with auditorium seating, retail, dining and expansive views of the airfield and Olympic Mountains. Mayer/Reed integrated the bespoke ceiling wood pattern into wayfinding landmarks and updated the signage to match the latest SEA sign system, helping travelers navigate one of the nation’s busiest airports.

Congratulations to the Port of Seattle and the entire project team on this significant accomplishment.