Around the Pacific Northwest and around the world, it’s been a busy season for groundbreakings as our projects move into the construction stage. This milestone, often marked with golden shovel ceremonies, marks a particularly satisfying moment for project teams – the work is getting built.

In June our landscape architects joined a groundbreaking ceremony for a new primary school soon to take shape in the Wilsonville neighborhood of Frog Pond.

In addition, we celebrated groundbreakings for several of our signage and wayfinding projects, including: a new academic building at Vancouver’s Washington School for the Deaf, a replacement Newhouse Building on the Capitol campus in Olympia, Washington and US Embassies in Lilongwe, Malawi and Port Louis, Mauritius. Lastly, the US Department of State dedicated a new U.S. Consulate General with a ribbon cutting in Hyderabad, India, wrapping up the years long project.

A long-awaited recreation and aquatics center is one step closer to fruition for residents of Lake Oswego. Mayer/Reed joined City leaders, community members and design and construction team representatives to celebrate the start of construction at the March 15 groundbreaking event.

Set to open in summer 2024, the Lake Oswego Recreation and Aquatics Center will offer strong indoor/outdoor connections within the park-like public golf course setting. Mayer/Reed and Scott Edwards Architecture worked together to design a nature-inspired community asset that incorporates indoor aquatic and recreation amenities with several outdoor social spaces. Art and gardens will welcome visitors in the entry forecourt and four distinct plaza and courtyard spaces will allow activities to extend outside of the building.  

Triplett Wellman is leading the construction of the $46 million project.