PROJECTS Archives - Mayer Reed

Lighting Up Portland’s Smallest Park

For the 2025 Portland Winter Light Festival (PDXWLF), Mayer/Reed returned to a tiny place that holds a very big spot in our hearts: Mill Ends Park. Inspired by festival’s theme, “A Light for Tomorrow: A Technicolor Future,” we set out to imagine a bright future for this charming patch of green in the middle of Naito Parkway.

Our installation, “Chasing Rainbows,” transformed Mill Ends Park into a glowing beacon of light — a celebration of history, imagination, and a bit of leprechaun mischief. Perched atop the park’s concrete base, the faceted acrylic structure shimmered in technicolor hues, catching the eyes of curious passersby. But the real magic revealed itself when visitors peered into the kaleidoscopic portal. There, hidden in plain sight, sparkled an infinity of gold coins — our playful nod to the legend that started it all.

From start to finish, this project offered valuable takeaways. Knowing we would need to build it ourselves, we were challenged to bridge creativity with in-house constructability. Throughout design and fabrication, the diverse backgrounds and talents of our team shined; we leaned on individuals’ carpentry skills, their backgrounds in architecture and industrial design, and of course tapped into our wealth of knowledge in landscape architecture and experiential graphics. Along the way, we encountered — and solved — plenty of design puzzles and experimented with new tools. It was energizing to step outside the usual workflow and make things with our hands.

The 2025 PDXWLF drew hundreds of thousands of visitors to downtown Portland and across the city. We were thrilled to be part of the magic — sharing our glowing tribute to Mill Ends Park and seeing the joy it sparked. It was a reminder that art, light and a little imagination can brighten even the coldest nights.

Gates are Open at Washington School for the Deaf

“Welcome to Washington School for the Deaf,” “celebrating deaf culture” and “language access for all” flow across a monumental art gate at the main entrance of Washington School for the Deaf (WSD). On September 12, excited students, staff, design team members and local leaders poured into the courtyard of the ASL–English bilingual school to celebrate the recently completed campus redesign by Mithun and Skanska.

Two new buildings (Divine Academy and Hunter Gymnasium) and an accessible playground have transformed the school into a modern learning community. Among the experiential graphics and wayfinding elements designed by Mayer/Reed, the 72-foot art gate is a celebration of American Sign Language (ASL) – a language of motion and gesture.

Located in Vancouver, Washington, WSD serves deaf and hard of hearing students (Pre-K through 12th grade) from around the state. At the opening event, alumni and educators delivered heartfelt testimony on the impact the new facilities will have on the deaf community in Washington.

New Paths to Graduation at hayu alqi uyxat

A heartfelt ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 21 celebrated the opening of Portland Public Schools’ (PPS) new hayu alqi uyxat building — “many future paths” in the Chinook Wawa language. Designed by Bassetti Architects with landscape architecture by Mayer/Reed, the new building is home to PPS’s previously dispersed Multiple Pathways to Graduation programs and serves some of the district’s most vulnerable high school students.

Influenced by trauma-informed best practices, the new home of Alliance High School, DART/Kuumba School, Teen Parent Services and Childcare, and the Reconnection Services and Center is non-institutional in character, emphasizing a connection to nature inside and out. Outdoor spaces offer opportunities for collaborative learning, solo study, sensory breaks and play. Beneath large oak trees, a gathering circle embedded with the representation of a medicine wheel is a special focal point.

At the opening event, students and school leaders expressed words of hope and praise for their new learning community. The hayu alqi uyxat building is part of the PPS School Improvement Bond Program and is anticipating LEED Gold certification.

Celebrating a Modernized Benson Polytechnic High School

Community members and local dignitaries joined students, staff and project team members in celebrating the official reopening of a modernized Benson Polytechnic High School. The September 14 ribbon cutting marked a new era of innovation for Portland Public Schools’ 1916 career and technical education (CTE) campus.

The modernization, led by Bassetti Architects, balances historic preservation with expansion, increasing space for state-of-the-art, hands-on learning. Mayer/Reed’s site design respects the campus’s classic symmetry while introducing universal accessibility and adding student-centered outdoor spaces throughout.

Visitors to the grand opening event toured the building and explored new and redesigned outdoor spaces including the main entry landscape, a new central courtyard adjacent to the student commons and the multi-functional CTE courtyard with outdoor workspaces for construction, applied geometry, manufacturing and automotive workshops.

Benson is the sixth high school to be modernized or rebuilt through the PPS School Improvement Bond program—all with landscape architecture by Mayer/Reed.