Spring Openings

This spring, Mayer/Reed celebrated a series of major milestones as several transformative public spaces and civic projects officially opened their doors. 

Excited officials and community members gathered on April 26 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the brand-new Lake Oswego Recreation & Aquatics Center. The state-of-the-art facility, designed by Scott Edwards Architecture, features landscape architecture by Mayer/Reed that prioritizes environmental resilience and accessibility.  

On May 19, the new Clackamas County Courthouse in Oregon City opened to the public. Designed and funded by Fengate-led Clackamas Progress Partners, the new courthouse on the Red Soils Campus replaces the outdated and seismically vulnerable 1936 building. Mayer/Reed designed signage and wayfinding that puts clarity and legibility first, with high contrast text, icon usage and strategic sign placement to encourage a smooth visitor experience.  

The front entrance of the new Clackamas County Courthouse with signage designed by Mayer/Reed

The University of Oregon (UO) welcomed students to its Portland Campus Center on May 29. Environmental graphics and wayfinding at newly renovated space by Opsis elevate the vibrant academic hub and celebrate UO school pride.

The interior lobby of the UO Portland Campus Center features yellow wall graphics represesnting an aerial map of Portland. A large "O" for the University of Oregon mounted above the stairwell.

And later this month, Metro’s Operations & Maintenance Campus at Blue Lake Regional Park wraps up FFA-led improvements with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 14. Mayer/Reed’s site design for the 2.3-acre campus includes ecological restoration of the existing park and outdoor spaces for staff to gather and relax. The site is designed to achieve the International Living Building Challenge’s Core Green Building Certification.  

We’re proud to help shape these places that serve, inspire and strengthen our communities. 

Posted June 09, 2025
Written by: Mayer/Reed
Categories: EVENTS  PROJECTS 

Spring Forward, Portland

There’s a new energy in Portland — and it’s palpable. After years of uncertainty and change, Portlanders are stepping up to imagine what’s next for our city.   

This spring, I had the chance to join a lineup of speakers at Streets of Possibility: Well Beyond Cars, an event packed with forward-thinking ideas and hopeful enthusiasm. My presentation, “Streets are Landscapes!” explored ways we can reimagine our streets to prioritize people and plants over pavement — just one of many conversations that night about how we use the public right-of-way.  

The event was part of City of Possibility, a month-long celebration of bold, urban thinking. It was heartening to see many of the wide-ranging projects that Mayer/Reed is involved in pop up in dialogue, including the Green Loop, PBOT Street Plazas, Broadway Corridor, the OMSI Waterfront Education Park and the Earthquake Ready Burnside Bridge. Hundreds of design professionals, community leaders, and everyday Portlanders attended the City of Possibility architectural model exhibit and sold-out events, all eager to discuss future ideas as well as pivotal projects that are already underway. And the message was clear: there’s a groundswell of interest in shaping a more vibrant, equitable and resilient city.   

The City of Possibility model exhibition included the Eastbank Connector, designed by Mayer/Reed, Bora and KPFF (left, model by Bora)

Portland feels primed for change. The Albina Vision Trust is leading efforts to rebuild the Black community in Lower Albina, OMSI is working to reconnect Native communities to the Willamette riverfront and plans are underway to reimagine Tom McCall Waterfront Park. With a new mayor and city councilors at the helm, there’s reason for optimism. Still, we can’t ignore the hard truths — budget shortfalls are real, and good ideas don’t fund themselves. From quick, low-cost interventions to long-term infrastructure investments, the solutions will need to be as diverse as the communities they serve.    

Portlanders are no strangers to getting crafty. What’s needed now is broad community support and a willingness to once more dream big. Let’s tap into our collective creativity and shape a future of which we can all be proud. 

Posted April 03, 2025
Written by: Shannon Simms
Categories: DIALOGUE  EVENTS 

Mayer/Reed Gallery Artist Profile: Rob Wente

One of the perks of Mayer/Reed’s new studio is a gallery wall for exhibiting the creative pursuits of our incredibly talented staff.

The inaugural exhibit featured the art of Rob Wente, senior designer and prolific painter. Rob’s two featured works, both acrylic on canvas, depict abstract narratives that spark the imagination. The paintings, titled Burning and Yearning Down at the Crossroads and The Arrival (on a Larger Scale), are meant to transport the viewer into a world of their own making. As Wente explains, “They fuse unearthly imagery with titles that ask the viewer to draw their own interpretations of the stories within.”

Burning and Yearning Down at the Crossroads – Rob Wente

Favorites from the sketchbook studies make it to Instagram and a select few are reinterpreted into larger works. In the full-size paintings, Rob continues to layer ideas, paint and what he calls “easter eggs”—hidden details waiting to be discovered by the viewer. He titles the art to hint at the stories they contain, giving viewers a direction for contemplation without fully revealing a meaning. For Rob, each painting is a journey of discovery for both artist and viewer.

Posted March 17, 2025
Written by: Mayer/Reed
Categories: IN THE STUDIO