News - Mayer Reed

Shannon Simms Presents “Community-Led Urban Design” at Mpact Transit + Community Conference in Philadelphia

Mayer/Reed Associate Principal and landscape architect, Shannon Simms, ASLA, will present at the Mpact Transit & Community Conference on Tuesday October 22, 2024. The session, Community-Led Urban Design: Implementing in Sync with Transit Projects, features a panel of leaders from around the US and Canada who will demonstrate how creative approaches in urban design and landscape architecture can bring community identity into transit projects. Join Shannon and co-presenters—Krista Nightengale, Better Block Foundation; Klaudia Biala, SvN Architects + Planners; John Potter, Metrolinx; and Jeffrey A Fahs, HDR, Inc.—as they share techniques for engagement, design and placemaking that “shift perceptions about transit, limit adverse impacts and heal communities.”

Formerly known as Rail~Volution, the annual Mpact Conference focuses on building great places to live through transit, connected mobility, and land use and development.

We hope to see you in Philadelphia!

Small Budget, Big Impact

It was a great night celebrating landscape architecture with our peers at ASLA Oregon’s 2024 Design Awards soirée on September 27. We were inspired by the professional and student achievements and incredible projects happening around the region.

During the event, Mayer/Reed was honored with a Green Ribbon Merit Award for our pro bono work on the Gorge Accessibility Project for Friends of the Columbia Gorge. The Green Ribbon for Biodiversity and Climate Action recognizes projects that demonstrate notable strides toward shared biodiversity and climate goals and set an example for what our profession can achieve in areas of carbon drawdown, climate resiliency, ecosystem services and community empowerment.

The project, conceptual designs for two accessible recreation sites in the Columbia River Gorge at Cape Horn and Catherine Creek, establishes a vision and develops materials for grants and fundraising. We are proud to be recognized for this important work and are grateful for the opportunity to work with a client and partners that value the goals of inclusivity and climate action. We look forward to seeing the concepts take shape.

Congratulations to all the firms, designers and projects celebrated at the soirée!

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.