Outdoor Adventure at the Portland Children’s Museum received a Merit Award in the general design category for the education-based environment designed to inspire learning through outdoor play and connection to nature.
The Design Week Portland event Revolution in the Landscape: Re-Experience Halprin’s Fountains, produced by the Society for Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD) Portland Chapter, received a Merit Award in the research and communication category. 
Kathy Fry and Mike Sauer at our studio conceived and managed the event. Both are SEGD members and co-chair the Portland Chapter. Seven teams were involved, each designing and installing a separate temporary art installation along Halprin’s Open Space Sequence. Mayer/Reed’s installation at Ira Keller Fountain titled “We Are All in This Together,” encouraged attendees to re-engage with Halprin’s 45 year old historic urban spaces. The event lasted for 2 hours, starting at dusk with 500 glow rings handed out to participants.
Happy 50th YGH!
Yost Grube Hall Architecture celebrated 50+ years with an exhibit opening at The Center for Architecture this month. As longtime colleagues and friends, we are honored to be part of this milestone event. Collaborating with YGH, Mayer/Reed orchestrated the design, copywriting and construction of the exhibit, bringing to life rich stories of people, places and projects the firm has touched over the decades. 
The exhibit runs through Sept 30 at The Center for Architecture, 403 NW 11th Avenue, Portland, OR.
Installing Big Mister Twister at the Portland Children’s Museum
Four weeks of hard (but fascinating) work…
50+ volunteers…
350+ cubic yards of native vine maple branches harvested, stripped, sorted and woven…
…to create 9 sculptural rooms of magic.
Artist: Patrick Dougherty
The Outdoor Adventure at the Portland Children’s Museum
Collaborative Life Sciences Building and Skourtes Tower Complete
Large and complex projects can be very demanding, especially during the construction phase. For the design team, it requires us to focus on the details and to stay one step ahead of the contractors’ work. When the pavers are finally laid, trees are planted and the last bench and art piece have been installed, it’s time to pause, step back and revel in the completion.
The opening celebration for the Collaborative Life Sciences Building and Skourtes Tower in the South Waterfront District is no exception. After over a year of managing the details of the site and landscape construction, it is inspiring to experience the results of the efforts of countless design consultants, university representatives and contractors working together to create this modern model of collaboration. Mayer/Reed is proud to be one of those team members, having designed the public and private outdoor spaces including the east and west terraces and stepped landscape along SW Moody.
Themes of transparency and interaction are apparent throughout the development. Multi-story glass atrium walls bring compelling outdoor views into the building. Indoor and outdoor spaces with open circulation and ample seating encourage spontaneous conversations. Stormwater from the building and site is visible as it is conveyed through a series of treatment planters.
Soon, the CLSB will be buzzing with activity as students, faculty, researchers and staff move in over the summer. The bike racks will be full. Students will be perched on the concrete plinth seating, soaking in the sun on their breaks. Study groups will gather on the east terrace with fantastic views of the Willamette River, the new Tilikum Crossing Bridge and Mt. Hood in the distance. Let the next chapter of collaboration begin!