As a passionate advocate for the fields of visual communications and experiential graphic design, Mayer/Reed Principal, Kathy Fry, is driven to create opportunities for designers and to promote the values of community placemaking and design excellence. With her recent appointment to President of SEGD, the Society for Experiential Graphic Design, she plans to deepen the organization’s commitment to inclusive design practices, equitable access to design careers, a new web presence and the annual conference – this year in Portland, Oregon.
SEGD is a global multi-disciplinary association for professionals who plan, design and build experiences that connect people to place. The community of over 2,200 members from 35 countries includes graphic, information, media, interaction, exhibition and industrial designers; fabricators; architects; technology integrators; brand strategists; wayfinding specialists; students and teachers.
On Friday morning January 7, the aging west grandstand of Oregon State University’s Reser Stadium in Corvallis came down in a dramatic implosion. From our home offices, Mayer/Reed and countless others watched the event safely via live-streamed video, as the 3.5 second planned implosion made way for $153 million improvements. The demolition of the 1967 grandstand marks a pivotal moment in the project, the final phase of stadium upgrades which began two decades ago.
“Completing Reser Stadium” is a design-build project led by Hoffman Construction, Populous and SRG Partnership that will modernize the facility and provide a first-class fan experience with expanded amenities and open circulation. A welcome center for prospective students and their families and a student wellness and urgent care clinic complete the multi-use program.
Mayer/Reed’s site planning establishes a new arrival sequence, pedestrian promenade and a west side entry plaza to support year-round activity. The design will enhance the arrival experience as fans gather and enter the stadium. The firm’s signage design completes the identity and wayfinding program from previous updates through this final phase of improvements.
This project is the culmination of Mayer/Reed’s 20 years of collaboration on the stadium upgrades which began with the feasibility master plan followed by three prior phases of modernization. The firm’s additional work in the OSU athletic district includes the Sports Performance Center, a parking garage and the Beth Ray Center for Academic Support.
The completed Reser Stadium Westside is expected to open by fall 2023. Go Beavs!
Image 1: Still from OSU video, Image 2: Rendering of Reser West Side
Around the world, communities gather this season for holiday celebrations of light. During the dark, short days of winter, light is a shared symbol of anticipation, hope and joy expressed through glowing candles, twinkling lights, fireworks and gathering around a fire.
We marvel at the world as seen through the eyes of a child, one that is rich with imagination, explorations of nature and attraction to color. As the landscape architects on a collaborative design team for the Elks Children’s Eye Clinic in Portland, Mayer/Reed considered environments for children whose sight may be limited. We asked, how could tactile qualities and perceptions of color help enrich their experience? How could we help to put children and families at ease as they approach the eye clinic for treatment? Within a small garden, could we offer a sense of calm and artistic expression through color, tactile surfaces and natural elements?
We posed these questions to medical specialists and administrators as we studied site design opportunities for the new clinic located directly across from the renowned Casey Eye Institute on the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) campus. This world-class facility for the treatment of eye diseases is noted for its medical excellence as well as making kids feel safe and relaxed. Recently completed in spring of 2021, the Elks Children’s Eye Clinic welcomes both children and adult patients. We hope that the building’s entry and courtyard offer unique and delightful encounters for everyone.
During the design process, we learned that people with sight as well as those with sight impairments have great variations in their interpretations of color. We became intrigued with NBBJ Architects’ proposal to use colorful dichroic glass on the skyway connecting the clinic and institute. With this inspiration, we explored how to bring this rainbow of color down to a place in the landscape where kids could engage with it.
Leading to the building entry, we incorporated thick sheets of smooth, poly-chrome slumped art glass (fabricated by Portland’s Bullseye Glass Company) into a crisp, board-formed concrete retaining wall. The two materials reveal a sharp visual and textural contrast. The vibrant colors rendered in glass punctuate the wall, remaining durable and effective, no matter the time of day, season or weather.
A verdant, narrow courtyard between the new clinic and existing parking garage provides an intimate place to relax or enjoy a snack. This subdued, shady environment is favorable for clinic patients, especially if their eyes have been dilated during exams or treatment.
The final phase of the clinic’s terraced sensory garden will be completed after construction of the adjacent OHSU hospital expansion. Until then, the colorful art glass wall and richly vegetated courtyard provide unexpected visual and tactile treats for everyone entering the Elks Children’s Eye Clinic.
