On May 11, excited community members lined up for the much-anticipated opening of Central Library, the brand-new flagship facility for the Deschutes Public Library system. Designed by Miller Hull and STEELE Associates Architects, the library implements bilingual sign standards developed by Mayer/Reed. Home to more than the book collections, the impressive new building offers creative and co-working spaces, a teen room, children’s space designed by Plus And Greater Than, maker space and coffee shop.
On May 5 in Portland, Portland Community College marked the completion of the Health Technology Building West at the Sylvania Campus. Delivered through a design-build collaboration between Woofter Bolch Architecture, Fortis Construction and MIXdesign, the facility expands hands-on healthcare training opportunities for students across the region. Mayer/Reed implemented and expanded existing sign standards to support clear navigation, including within the facility’s new all-user locker rooms.
In Moorhead, Minnesota, the new Moorhead Public Library and Community Center opened on April 8 as part of The Loop, a vibrant mixed-use space developed by the City of Moorhead and the Lake Agassiz Regional Library. The Loop is the first opening in series of projects fulfilling a masterplan to remove a defunct shopping mall and parking lots, return to the city grid and create a new civic hub with adjacent park. Alongside JLG Architects and Miller Hull, Mayer/Reed worked with the client to create the facility brand, The Loop, named for the iconic walking loop that circles the upper level of the building, providing a place to walk during the harsh Midwest winter. Mayer/Reed designed the building identity, collection wayfinding and a two-story feature wall celebrating the community’s connection to the Red River.
At the Oregon State Capitol in Salem, Oregon, massive granite boulders emerge from the landscape, artfully carved by master masons and precisely placed to help tell a powerful story of Indigenous voices. As landscape architect on the new universally accessible main entry and plaza, Mayer/Reed’s work began long before a single stone was craned into place.
Mayer/Reed’s vision for the entry plaza integrates a series of boulders that intentionally interrupt the formal design elements of the landscape, carved in close collaboration with artist and linguist Dr. Phillip Cash Cash. Guided by our preliminary sketches, we traveled to the source to hand-select each boulder. At the quarry, we used LiDAR technology to create photorealistic 3D scans, which we then incorporated into our working design model.
Boulders have unique “personalities.” The digital scans captured the exact dimensions and character of each boulder and allowed us to accurately communicate these intricacies to our collaborators — from the stone masons to the crane operators. The vision came to life through thoughtful design, technical precision and hands-on collaboration.
