Women in Construction Week

Robin Langcamp, current Secretary (also a past-president) of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Eugene Chapter #77, brought this year’s Women in Construction Week to my attention. Taking place March 7 through 13, the week will highlight the significant role of women in all aspects of the construction industry. Women in Construction Week also provides an occasion for the thousands of NAWIC members across the country to raise awareness of the opportunities available for women and to emphasize the growing role of women in the construction field. It is also a time for local chapters to give back to their communities. 

NAWIC’s 117 chapters provide their members with opportunities for professional development, education, networking, leadership training, public service, and more. Founded in 1953, the association advocates for the value and impact of women builders, professionals, and tradeswomen. The not-for-profit organization promotes women's advancement and growth in the construction industry through education, support, and community involvement. 

During Women in Construction Week, all NAWIC chapters are hosting events intended to showcase the rich history of women in what was traditionally a male-dominated industry. The event coincides with Women’s History Month, which allows Women in Construction Week to capitalize on the synergies found in such topics as the history of women’s rights, striking a balance as a working mother, and how to be a mentor to young girls. 

The calendar of events hosted by Eugene Chapter #77 is as follows: 

Monday, March 8th

International Women's Day!

Join the Eugene Chapter over Zoom to learn more about who NAWIC is.

6:00 PM PST - Why NAWIC?

7:00 PM PST - Zoom meet & greet with games and prizes!

Wednesday, March 10th

Attend the Eugene Chapter’ March membership meeting via Zoom

5:30 PM PST - Meet & greet during Happy (1/2) Hour

6:00 PM PST - Monthly meeting program: the Eugene Riverfront redevelopment

Thursday, March 11th

Join the Eugene Chapter and the rest of the NAWIC Pacific Northwest Region for a regional party!

6:00 PM PST - Virtual PNW Party!

Friday, March 12th

Everyone is welcome to join the Eugene Chapter for a social stroll starting at Alton Baker Park.

5:30 PM PST - Socially Distanced Social Walk - Pets Welcome!

The Eugene Chapter has put up billboards to draw attention to this year’s Women in Construction Week. The billboards will be up from now through the end of March. I’m looking forward to seeing them around town when I’m out and about. 

You don’t have to be a NAWIC member to participate but do RSVP to the Eugene Chapter by emailing nawic.eugene77@gmail.com. And if you want to be stylin’ for Women in Construction Week, NAWIC Eugene Chapter #77 has an assortment of NAWIC logo gear, including lightweight hoodie cardigans, sweatshirt cardigans, and masks for purchase.

Make sure to share your Women in Construction Week pictures, NAWIC posts, and stories to social media using the tags #womeninconstruction2021 #wicweek2021 and #nawicwicweek2021!

The Market Expansion: A First Look

Market Alley (all photos by me)

It took a little longer than anticipated, but much of the Market Expansion project is now complete and open for business. Three years ago, I predicted the ambitious development by the Obie Companies would bolster downtown Eugene’s ongoing revitalization. I stand by that prediction, even as the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to play out. The public debut of the Market Expansion mirrors a growing optimism that better days are well on their way. 

I took advantage of an agreeably sunny and mild Saturday afternoon to visit the project. Many others obviously shared the same idea, as Market Alley—the 200-foot-long covered promenade that forms the heart of the Market Expansion—was bustling with activity. Though privately controlled, the open-air setting provides a curated simulacrum of the public realm, an accessible space activated by the everyday use of residents and visitors. It reminds me of Milan’s famous Galleria, albeit suitably lacking its pretension and at a much humbler scale. It’s ideal for people-watching, a safe and comfortable place people want to stay in for a while once they’ve arrived. The space feels more genuine to me than the Heritage Courtyard at Oakway Center, perhaps because as part of the Market Expansion it directly ties to its urban setting rather than being divorced from it. 

The Market Expansion; view from Pearl Street

Market Alley; view looking west toward the Gordon Hotel

In addition to the Market Alley, the mixed-use development comprises the seven-story, 82-room Gordon Hotel, the apartments at the Gordon Lofts (with rents starting at $1,230/month for a studio unit), maker spaces for local crafters, and offices located above the retail spaces. The Nike By Eugene store anchors the intersection at 6th and Pearl. It opened for business in January, followed soon after by Café Yumm and Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream (which seemed especially popular during my visit to Market Alley). Additional tenants include Karin Clarke at the Gordon, Beaudet Jewelry, and Bug’s Baby Boutique. The Gordon Hotel opened Valentine’s Day weekend; the hotel first lit its signature rooftop sign the previous week. A fourth of the upscale Gordon Lofts are already leased. 

Andersen Construction served as the Construction Manager/General Contractor, and Ankrom Moisan led the design team. 

The Obie Companies’ website describes the three-story retail and office building as “reminiscent of an early 20th-century warehouse building and harkens back to when the 5th Street Public Market area was Eugene’s industrial center, home to manufacturers and similar businesses.” It additionally characterizes the boutique Gordon Hotel as having an “urban . . . grittier feel.” Notwithstanding the project’s allusions to an erstwhile, imagined history, I believe the design of the buildings by Ankrom Moisan strike an appropriate balance of scale, detail, and economy. The initial renderings of the Gordon Hotel alluded to Art Deco architecture, whereas the finished product is lamentably plainer in execution. The form of the “tower” portion of the hotel seems particularly ungainly when compared to the vertical expression of the early design.

The Gordon Hotel

Rendering of initial design by Ankrom Moisan

Despite its generous street-level glazing, the 6th Avenue side of the commercial building effectively and necessarily turns its back to the busy, noisy, and polluting thoroughfare. If 6th ever becomes more pedestrian-friendly, I suspect the frontage will one day feature multiple, varied, and welcoming storefronts.

6th Avenue view

Time will tell, but I do think the Market Expansion will add substantial vibrancy to the Market District. It is a welcome addition, one that may prove to have been a vital shot in the arm for downtown Eugene (pardon the coronavirus pun) as life returns to the local commercial, retail, and hospitality markets. Kudos to the Obie Companies, Ankrom Moisan, Andersen Construction, and the entire Market Expansion team!

Virtual Team Bonding

Photo by Meritt Thomas on Unsplash

It’s hard to believe it has almost been a full year since COVID-19 upended our lives. Most of us in the architectural profession have spent our working hours at home, safely social distancing and doing our part to control the spread of the virus. We are tethered to our offices electronically, collaborating virtually, and sustaining an impressive level of productivity. The fact we can function so effectively despite a crippling pandemic would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. 

From a business perspective, the obvious downsides of the “new normal” include the inability of coworkers to interact spontaneously, the challenge of sustaining rapport and trust, and generally being present and immersed in the office culture. Pundits have written volumes about the importance of maintaining engagement and bonds between colleagues during this time. Ideally, these connections between team members not only ensure work gets done but also boost morale and alleviate stress. 

Before COVID, the end-of-the-workweek “happy hour” provided one way for employees to unwind, connect in a setting outside of the office, and let their hair down. My office was no exception. We regularly partook in “Beer-Thirty.” Our custom was to call for “pencils down” at 4:30 each Friday, whereupon we would head off to one of the local watering holes for drinks and non-work conversations. The routine was our reward for working our butts off during the preceding week—a pleasant way to downshift and ease into the weekend. Some of the bonds we forged over the years are undoubtedly a product of our Beer-Thirty gatherings. 

Of course, under Lane County’s coronavirus restrictions happy hour cannot be the same as it was b.c. (before COVID). From the start, many businesses programmed virtual engagement activities to compensate for the loss of traditional morale-boosting practices, such as the office happy hour. My guess is these actions have proven especially useful for larger companies, where getting to know your workmates always required effort but even more so now. In a small, ten-person firm such as mine, camaraderie and confidence in one another are much easier to cultivate. It helps tremendously that most of us have worked together for many years. We know each other almost as well as we do our own families. 

So, what has Robertson/Sherwood/Architects done to stand in for our Beer-Thirty tradition? Despite the wisdom associated with purposefully nurturing our office culture (regardless of how well we know one another) we have done much too little. We did enjoy a very pleasant and successful virtual Holiday Party in December, which included participation by spouses, significant others, and some employees’ children; however, until this past week we had not scheduled additional group activities intended to reinforce our bonds as a team. 

Perhaps it should not be surprising that it would be our newest employee, Romina Rodriguez, who floated the idea of a virtual happy hour centered around party video games. We hired Romina in October—after the lockdown—so we have only gotten to know her virtually so far. This past Friday, she introduced everyone at RSA to the Jackbox Party Pack, which is a series of games played simultaneously on digital platforms by up to eight players (additional participants can watch the game through streaming media services). She surmised correctly that we had been neglecting the importance of social contact and the opportunity to have fun together. 

Romina had us play three games from the party pack: Fibbage, Guesspionage, and Quiplash. All three were highly entertaining, with hilarity in plentiful supply. Scoring is tracked automatically, allowing everyone to focus on playing the games. Apparently, I’m an apt initiate because I came out on top twice, winning soundly at both Fibbage and Quiplash. 

I used my desktop PC/laptop to play, but Jackbox games are also optimized for gaming consoles such as Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation, and even streaming devices like Apple TV or Amazon Fire. According to Wikipedia, Jackbox Games witnessed its sales jump up 1,000% in just the first three months of the pandemic shutdown, and its user base doubling from 100 million players in 2019 to 200 million by October 2020. It’s easy to understand the popularity of Jackbox now that I have played a few of the selections from its party pack. 

Playing Fibbage. Apparently I can't spell my own name correctly

Games are a fundamental way humans interact. They bring us together, offer immediate rewards, and encourage playful competition. They can also inspire out-of-the-box thinking and promote collaborative thinking. Importantly, they help foster a fun workplace and healthy connections between staff. The strength of a team’s bonds translates directly to improved performance. 

As distribution of vaccines becomes more widespread, there is a light at the end of the coronavirus tunnel. Until the world achieves herd immunity, everyone in our office will make a concerted effort to seek out and enjoy each other’s company, if only virtually. Team bonding is a critical ingredient for any organization but is especially so in the creative culture of architecture.

 

Intellectual Stimulation

Manchester Town Hall, UK (Photo by Michael D Beckwith on Unsplash)

Bill Kleinsasser restlessly revised and reworked his self-published textbook SYNTHESIS throughout his teaching career. He did so to a fault: In my opinion, the earlier copies are richer, as Bill didn’t hesitate to venture down countless rabbit holes offering him opportunities to present in-depth elucidation of his “frames of reference” for design. With each successive edition, he attempted to distill SYNTHESIS to its essences, paring words in the process but ironically robbing his book of much of its eloquence, depth, and power.

In the excerpt below from my 1981 copy of SYNTHESIS, Bill expounds upon the principle of “Intellectual Stimulation.”  He later subsumed this frame of reference under a broader grouping, POETRY before ultimately removing direct use of the term altogether.

Intellectual Stimulation

This frame of reference is often best understood as the consequence of response to the other frames rather than as a goal itself. Striving for stimulation, etc. in itself leads to triteness and confusion.

The first and simplest aspect of this frame of reference is that when people are stimulated and challenged by the physical environment, they in some degree possess it. They do so by means of their intellectual and/or sensorial involvement with it. If the physical environment is surprising, complex, or ambiguous, people are obliged to figure it out, to interpret it, to seek their personal relationship to it; they are in a sense also “possessed by it,” but gradually they make it their own as they reach their own conclusions about it (either consciously or unconsciously). There is of course an implication for precision here regarding how surprising a place can be, how complex, and how ambiguous. If any of these characteristics of a place are situationally out of balance, then confusion replaces meaningful involvement.

But there is another aspect of this frame of reference that is more important than the first. It is that the involvement caused by stimulation maintains or nourishes the pattern-making or combinatorial abilities that are so crucial to human adaptability and creativity. The human ability to extract meaningful patterns from experience is sharpened and strengthened by the constant practice of engaging stimulating, challenging surroundings, and this development may cause the emergence of unexpected potentialities.

This frame of reference seems especially important to children, who in their early lives are forming the basic range of ideas and possibilities from which they will develop and create in later life. It also seems especially important to the aged, who are so often immobilized and in danger [due to the] consequent lack of sensory experience of losing their adaptive and pattern-making abilities through disuse.

This frame of reference then seems to suggest built-conditions and configurations that are challenging and complex, precisely ambiguous (in the sense of having many meanings within a frame of familiar and therefore meaningful cues), novel (in the sense of being a variation on a familiar norm), and which contain some measure of conflict in the arrangement of parts, uncertainty, surprise, unpredictability—even mystery and magic.

Aldo van Eyck said that “if there is no mystery in the ordering of the environment, then to hell with order.”

As a general response to this category, a designer of the built environment could strive to establish the following conditions or opportunities:

• Conditions that are novel and surprising—a departure from the norm—sometimes conflicting or contradictory, thus challenging.
• Conditions that are experientially complex—that contain or are made up of many parts.
• Conditions that have multi-meaning, multi-purpose, multi-dimensions—that are ambiguous in this sense.

Many levels of meaning (therefore mystery, magic, ambiguity, perplexity) may be achieved in the built environment by means of:

• Complexity (the existence of many different parts)
• Multifunctioning places
• Undesignated-ness (“open places”)
• Sensory richness (sensuality of texture, color, shape, space)
• Celebration and eloquent expression (making places that are “more,” making an event of each place, evidence of caring and effort and love)
• Surprise when there is conflict with the “norm”
• Surprise when there is strong conflict with the “more”
• Surprise when there is a strong contrast with setting
• Suggestion when not everything is revealed (selective hinting)
• Suggestion when shapes and volumes are partially obscured
• Suggestion when there is half-light, low light, or changing light
• Connection with the cosmos (an imponderable order)
• Association (connection) with past events
• Combination of archetypes (symbols) of unexpected groups
• The familiar twisted so that it becomes allegorical (having hidden spiritual meaning transcending the literal)

WK / 1981