Interior of the Farmers Market Pavilion (all photos by me).
Another week, another
well-attended tour of a noteworthy project in Eugene. This time, the Willamette
Valley Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute, AIA Eugene, and the
Willamette Valley Section of ASLA Oregon teamed to provide an insider’s look at
the Farmers Market Pavilion and Plaza, which are rapidly approaching
completion. During the tour, key members of the design and construction team provided
a wealth of background information, greatly enhancing tour-goers’ understanding
about what is destined to become a transformative project for downtown Eugene.
Our tour guides included Tanner
Perrine, Senior Project Manager with Lease Crutcher Lewis (and current CSI Willamette Valley Chapter president)
and Assistant Project Manager Riley Allen. Tanner and Riley described unique
aspects of the construction process, including the decision to procure the
pavilion’s cross-laminated timber panels from nearby D.R. Johnson Lumber Co. rather than a lower-cost Canadian source. This
decision reflected Lewis’ commitment to sourcing products locally and
minimizing the project’s carbon footprint, but also the challenges and uncertainties
associated with cross-border commerce.
(l to r): Matt Koehler, Riley Allen, and Tanner Perrine.
Matt Koehler,
ASLA, LEED AP, principal with Cameron
McCarthy Landscape Architecture & Planning, and Christine Rumi,
RA, LEED AP, associate partner with FFA
Architecture & Interiors, ably presented the design team’s
perspective. As I reported previously, the Farmer’s Market Pavilion and Market Plaza comprise
just the initial phase of the greater Eugene Town Square redevelopment of Eugene’s historic park blocks. Matt addressed
the challenges posed by the necessity of anticipating the Town Square’s phased
development in the project’s design, as well as the Lane County Farmers Market
mandate to utilize “hard” surfaces to accommodate as many vendor’s booths as
possible (disqualifying the incorporation of lawn areas). Christine highlighted FFA’s strategic use of a simple, luminous form
that not only alludes to agricultural greenhouses, but also wrings the biggest possible
bang out of a very limited budget.
Interior view looking north.
Cross section of CLT wall panel.
What impressed me most during
the tour is the spaciousness of both the pavilion interior and the plaza
outside, which isn’t immediately evident if you only view the design while
passing by the site in a car. Vendors and shoppers alike will enjoy a more interconnected,
shared experience and sense of place than offered by any of the market’s
previous incarnations. I suspect the combination of interior and exterior space
for vendor booths will lead to the participation of more growers, enhancing the
selection and variety of produce offerings.
View looking west across the Market Plaza toward the Pavilion. Note the pattern of different types of concrete paving. The areas around the trees will be infilled with tightly compacted decomposed granite.
When completed, Cameron
McCarthy’s assertive patterning of colored and hand-seeded aggregate concrete
panels, and decomposed granite will complement the relative plainness of the Market
Pavilion. Matt said the composition of the concrete and DG panels alludes to
the modernist design for the two Park Blocks to the south across 8th avenue, for
which the art of painter Piet Mondrian inspired Wilmsen Endicott Architects
and Lloyd Bond Landscape Architect’s 1958 design. The quality of the Market
Plaza concrete already in place is outstanding, with nary a cracked panel in
sight.
I did find the 8,500 sf pavilion
perhaps a tad too refined and crystalline in character. The board and batten
lower walls will be painted white, further reinforcing its iceberg-like appearance.
The polycarbonate panels that clad its upper surfaces aren’t as transparent as FFA’s renderings
suggested they would be. On the other hand, the building’s simple form will function
as a backdrop for the bustle of activities on the Market Plaza and suitably defer
to a future Eugene City Hall, to be constructed at the north end of the plaza.
West wall of the market hall. The metal straps toward the top of the wall are structural and will be concealed behind acoustical wall panels.
Whereas the exterior of the
pavilion is icily cool, the exposed mass timber framing and CLT panels inside
are warm and inviting. Most of the wood will remain exposed, but the upper
portion of the west wall that separates the market hall from support spaces will
be covered by acoustical panels to dampen reverberant noise. That surface will
additionally host a specially commissioned piece of art. Likewise, the City of
Eugene selected an artist to paint a mural on a portion of the building’s
exterior facing West Park Street. I expect the art pieces to add a desirable touch of color to the building.
West side of the Pavilion, facing West Park Street. The area of yellow panels will receive a painted mural.
The Lane County Farmers Market
intends to move in and welcome the community to the new Market Pavilion and Plaza
on Memorial Day weekend, less than two short months from now. I’m looking forward
to seeing the design come alive, bringing active uses back to what historically
had been part of Eugene’s most important civic open space.
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