Corvallis Museum In-Person Tour

 

After two years absent of the opportunity to visit noteworthy local building projects, AIA Oregon and/or the Willamette Valley Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute have offered several tours this year in rapid succession. The most recent was this past Wednesday’s tour of the new Corvallis Museum. Located at 411 SW 2nd Street in downtown Corvallis, the museum adds a considerable cultural amenity and draw to Benton County’s principal urban center. It significantly complements the BCHS’s other extensive assets, which are primarily located in nearby Philomath and include the historic Philomath Museum and the Peter & Rosalie Johnson Collections Center.
 
I’ve written three previous entries about the Corvallis Museum, dating back a dozen years. My fascination with the project stems from my admiration for the work of the building’s author—Allied Works Architecture—and the fact my office also pursued the commission. My familiarity with the project’s goals, the nature of the museum’s collections and mission, and its location in downtown Corvallis drove my continued interest throughout its protracted development.
 
About twenty AIA Oregon members were on hand for the in-person tour, ably led by Jessica Hougen (Executive Director, Benton County Historical Society), Michael Schweizer (former member of the BCHS Board of Trustees and current advisor to the board), and Chelsea Grassinger (design principal with Allied Works Architecture).
 
My account of last fall’s virtual tour of the then recently completed museum—also hosted by Jessica, Michael, and Chelsea—covered a lot of the territory I might otherwise repeat here. What I can say unequivocally is the opportunity to experience the building with all my senses was necessary to fully appreciate the genius of a deceptively simple and elegant design.
 

Exterior view from SW 2nd Street (all photos by me)

I do find some Allied Works Architecture projects to be mysterious, and the motivations behind the genesis and execution of their designs indecipherable (particularly when attempting to grasp them solely from drawings or photographs). Though it brought the firm a substantial measure of notoriety and attention, Witold Rybczynski characterized Allied Works’ design for the Museum of Arts and Design in New York as “fashionably inscrutable and mildly intimidating.”(1) That’s most certainly not the case with the Corvallis Museum.
 
That I do not find the museum either inscrutable or intimidating is in large part attributable to its modest scale, the luminous, hand-raked Japanese tile cladding, and refreshing transparency along both the SW 2nd Street and Adams Street frontages. The museum is physically welcoming, differentiated from its neighbors while at once complementing their massing, material, and detail. Though it glows, the Corvallis Museum is not an alien presence.

Lobby

 
Inside, the lobby, exhibit spaces, museum store, and classroom/event room feature a consistent palette of neutral, walls and ceilings (variously white-painted drywall or wood), wood floors (slate at the ground-level lobby), and elegantly detailed and minimalistic guardrails, handrails, display vitrines, and casework. The oak-clad grand stair draws visitors upstairs, while framing the majesty that is Bruce the Moose, the museum’s de facto mascot.

Bruce

The origami-like folding of the ceilings, walls, and clerestory windows of the second-floor galleries carefully frames views to the exterior and controls the entrance of natural light. The geometry is necessarily complex but does not detract from the exhibits on display or an overall impression of calm and order.
 
The quirkiness of the eclectic exhibits currently on display deservedly draw the focus of visitors to the museum. The Corvallis Museum features selections from the Benton County Historical Society’s massive collection of over 120,000 artifacts. The charming collection includes photographs, historical documents, textiles, clothing, domestic arts, farm implements, scientific instruments, and personal possessions. The juxtaposition of wildly disparate items—vintage hats & chairs, an old mainframe computer with its innards exposed, lumberjack saws, taxidermy, a ship’s helm, roller blades, and more—hardly seems curated, but purposely celebrates the one-of-a-kind past and present of Benton County.(2)   

 

If I must identify one quibble with the design, it is how acoustically lively the central lobby/atrium is. The reverberance appears compounded by the geometry of the reflective ceiling planes ringing the opening to the mezzanine exhibit space above. I didn’t ask whether this was by design (given that an acoustical consultant—Jaffe Holden—was part of the design team, and how thoroughly considered every other aspect of the interiors appears to have been) or a matter of budget limitations. By contrast, the gallery spaces control noise much more effectively.
 
My photographs fall woefully short of capturing the essence of an in-person visit to the museum. Jeremy Bitterman’s beautifully radiant images on the Allied Works website warrant your admiration, but they too cannot reveal the experiential qualities of walking around and through the building.
 
Overall, I’m a big fan of the Corvallis Museum. Kudos to the Benton County Historical Society and its many supporters for making its long-held vision for the museum a reality. The building is a significant architectural accomplishment and an amazing cultural asset for downtown Corvallis.
 
 
(1)    Ironically, as I detailed in my Virtual Tour post, it was the Museum of Arts and Design that brought Allied Works and the firm’s founder, Brad Cloepfil, to the attention of Irene Zenev, who was the Benton County Historical Society’s executive director during the design and construction of the Corvallis Museums.
 
(2)    Renate provided exhibit design services.
 

Corvallis Museum Virtual Tour

The Corvallis Museum (photos by Jeremy Bitterman unless noted otherwise; all images here are screenshots from the webinar presentation)

A project I’ve been tracking for many years—literally decades—is now complete.(1) The gleaming new Corvallis Museum, designed by Allied Works Architecture and constructed by Gerding Bulders for the Benton County Historical Society (BCHS), proves to have been well worth the wait. 

Located at 411 SW 2^nd Street in downtown Corvallis, the museum adds a considerable cultural amenity and draw to Benton County’s principal urban center. It significantly complements the BCHS’s other extensive assets, which are primarily located in nearby Philomath and include the historic Philomath Museum and the Peter & Rosalie Johnson Collections Center (the repository of the massive and wildly eclectic Horner Collection). 

SW Adams Avenue elevation. The Museum Store animates the storefront along the sidewalk.

With the Corvallis Museum, the BCHS can now exhibit larger portions of its diverse cultural and natural history collections, connect with a broader audience, and bring new life to the downtown streetscape. In addition to 5,000 square feet of exhibition galleries, the facility houses the BCHS offices, exhibition preparation spaces, and an education room with the capacity to hold 100 people. Additionally, the museum features a museum store, a spacious lobby, a board room, a docent room, and the landscaped Starker Courtyard. The enclosed building area totals 19,000 square feet across two floors. Gerding Builders delivered the completed project for a direct construction price of $8.357 million, or $440 per square foot (a modest figure given the building type). The total project cost was $15 million. 

I haven’t visited the museum since its recent opening to the public; however, I have done the next best thing, which was to participate last Thursday in a virtual tour of the facility. That tour, presented by the Energy Trust of Oregon, was accompanied by a panel presentation. The multifaceted event was part of the Energy Trust’s ongoing series of Allies for Efficiency programs on high-performance buildings. 

Kriya Kaping of the Energy Trust hosted the webinar and served as moderator for the panel discussion. The panelists were: 

• Jessica Hougen, executive director, Benton County Historical Society
• Irene Zenev, former executive director, Benton County Historical Society
• Michael Schweizer, NCARB, AIA, Senior Project Manager, CH2M HILL (retired)
• Chelsea Grassinger, principal, Allied Works
• Katy Anderson, senior energy analyst, Glumac
• Elin Shepard, outreach manager, Energy Trust of Oregon

Jessica Hougen and Irene Zenev introduced the project and recounted its genesis and protracted gestation. BCHS inherited the Horner Collection from Oregon State University in 1998, later constructing the Johnson Collections Center in 2007 to accommodate its 120,000 artifacts. Wishing to additionally provide a suitable venue to display rotating selections from the permanent collection (as well as traveling exhibits), BCHS elected to build an entirely new, state-of-the-art museum in downtown Corvallis. The design process began in 2010, while the capital campaign would reach its fundraising goal in 2019. 

In many respects, the new museum is Irene’s baby. As I wrote in 2010, Irene “gets” architecture and recognized the fact the new museum would be a civic asset in the heart of Benton County. She understood that outstanding architecture would deliver added value to the display of the collections. During the architect selection process, she studied contemporary museum projects, visiting and being particularly impressed with the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York City. She would be surprised to learn that MAD was designed by an Oregon native—Brad Cloepfil—and his Portland-based firm. Due in no small part to Irene’s advocacy, BCHS swung for the fences and chose Allied Works, ensuring an architectural landmark for downtown Corvallis. 

In addition to leading the virtual tour, Michael Schweizer described the qualifications-based contractor selection process and presented a slideshow featuring construction progress photos. BCHS sent the contractor selection RFP to three “known” firms, ultimately selecting locally based Gerding Construction, who in turn identified numerous subcontractors and suppliers who were likewise from the immediate area. 

I most looked forward to hearing from Allied Works principal Chelsea Grassinger. While she asserts Allied Works does not rely upon a trademarked style, the Corvallis Museum displays the hallmarks of the firm’s other work: a contemporary expression that respectfully complements each site through massing, detailing, and materiality. The latter aspect typically figures prominently in every Allied Works project, and the new building is no exception. The luminous, hand-raked Japanese tile cladding constantly shifts in appearance as the quality of light about the building changes, adding considerable life and visual interest to the museum’s exterior. 

Closeup view of the tile cladding (still image from virtual tour).

Chelsea described how the building’s four parallel structural bays echo the scale and meter of the neighboring storefronts, and how its projecting bays and windows fold out over the sidewalk, providing glimpses into the galleries visible from the principal cross streets. She cited the grand stair that leads visitors to the series of interconnected galleries on the second level and touched on the clerestories that bisect the galleries to deliver controlled daylight better accommodating the varied nature of the collection. 

Bruce the Moose greets visitors in the Museum's lobby

View looking back to the Museum lobby and up to one of the galleries on the upper floor from intermediate landing of the main stair.

Upper level gallery with opening to lobby below.

Gallery. Note the controlled use of natural daylight.

Because this was an Energy Trust of Oregon program, a natural part of the discussion centered around its energy performance. Katy Anderson and Elin Shepard described the museum’s use of a high-efficiency variable refrigerant flow (VRF)/dedicated outdoor air mechanical system (DOAS). Coupled with the galleries use of glare-free, controlled daylight balanced with LED lighting to illuminate the displays, the various energy-saving measures resulted in one of the most energy-efficient museums in Oregon, with estimated annual savings of 58,000 kWh. The design team targeted an Energy Use Intensity (EUI) of 30.9, which translates to a projected 24.4% savings compared to a code baseline building. This level of performance is impressive given the need to protect the displayed artifacts by precisely maintaining temperature and humidity within a tight range. 

View from intersection of SW Adams Avenue and SW 2nd Street

It was a pleasure to see the obvious pride and satisfaction expressed by each of the speakers. The project is the fulfilment of a long-held vision shared by the Benton County Historical Society’s board of trustees, its staff, and its patrons and supporters. The new building is a testament to that vision and the efforts and contributions of all involved in its realization. Through a range of curatorial strategies, the Corvallis Museum is bringing new educational, social, and cultural opportunities to the community. It is a celebration of collective heritage, an ideal vehicle for learning more about the history of Benton County. I’m looking forward to following up the virtual tour with an in-person visit sometime soon. 

*    *    *    *    *    *

The Corvallis Museum is open each week Wednesday through Sunday, 11:00 AM to 5:30 PM. Admission is $5 for non-members, and free to BCHS members, children 18 and under, and Oregon State University and Linn-Benton Community College students (with valid ID).

(1)  I’ve written about the Corvallis Museum on two previous occasions. The first entry (SW Oregon Architect: A Museum for Corvallis) dates from 2010, after BCHS selected Allied Works, and includes some initial concept images. I wrote the second post (SW Oregon Architect: The Corvallis Museum) in 2018, following an in-person tour of the project during construction.

 

Masonry Design: An Architect’s Perspective

Yet another short blog post: Perhaps I should attribute its brevity to the switchover to Daylight Savings Time—after all, we all lost an hour by “springing forward” this weekend. The truth is I needed to dedicate much of my time to preparing a presentation I’m going to give to the students of Oregon State University’s CE 482/582 Masonry Design class in Corvallis this coming Thursday, March 14.

Harold Friberg, Executive Director of the Masonry & Ceramic Tile Institute of Oregon asked me if I would like to speak to the class, primarily about the relationship between architects and structural engineers. I previously served as a juror for MCTIO’s 2011 Hammurabi Awards, which honors innovative and unique building projects that feature the prominent use of masonry. Harold connected me with Nathan Wallace, S.E., P.E., instructor for the CE 482/582 Masonry Design course, which is sponsored in part by MCTIO.

Nathan suggested describing the project delivery process and the roles the architect and the structural engineer play in the development of the design for a new building, in particular considerations that influence decisions to utilize particular structural systems over others. I’m likely to specifically address when, in my opinion, masonry is the right solution.

I’m flattered Harold asked me to speak on behalf of architects to an impressionable group of future structural engineers. I hope I’m equal to the task.

August AIA-SWO Chapter Meeting Recap

Furman Hall, Oregon State University (all photos by me unless noted otherwise)

Each August, AIA-Southwestern Oregon moves its monthly meeting to Corvallis in the interest of engaging the chapter's mid-Willamette Valley members. This year, the gathering also included our brethren further north from AIA-Salem. All told, it was a sizable and diverse group, an opportunity to revisit with old friends and also make new connections. 

The subject of the August meeting was the recently completed remodeling of Education Hall on the Oregon State University campus. Rechristened as Furman Hall(1), the project posed numerous challenges for its team of architects, engineers, and builders. We were most fortunate to have three key members of this team on hand to explain how these challenges were met: 

• Troy Ainsworth, AIA – Principal, FFA Architecture and Interiors, Inc.
• Matt Norman, LEED AP – Project Manager, Fortis Construction, Inc.
• Larrie Easterly – Project Manager, Oregon State University Campus Planning & Development 

Originally built in 1902 to a design by prominent Albany architect Charles H. Burggraf, the structure was first named Agriculture Hall and later remodeled during the 1930s when it became Education Hall. Its history was tumultuous, including two fires during its tenure as the home of the Chemistry Department.(2) Through the ensuing decades, the interior of building would be subjected to repeated minor remodeling as needs changed. Eventually, it became clear to the university that Education Hall required a major upgrading to meet contemporary pedagogic and life safety standards. 

OSU’s project brief included complete restoration of the building’s Romanesque-revival exterior in keeping with the comprehensive historic preservation plan that is mandated by its location within the campus’ National Historic District.(3) The mandate would necessitate gutting the interior and the almost complete removal and replacement of the original exterior envelope. This in turn led to numerous surprises for the project team, not the least of which were significant structural issues.(4) At the same time, the facility needed to comply with a State of Oregon directive to achieve LEED Silver equivalent standards. 

OSU Project Manager Larrie Easterly describes one of the benches created from sandstone blocks salvaged from the building's original skin.

As recounted by Troy, Matt, and Larrie, the project would become a major success story and a showcase for the merits of the Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) project delivery process. Their presentation emphasized the necessity of teamwork and a mutual willingness to always undertake what was in the best interest of the project. 

Conveniently for the benefit our group, the trio enumerated the various trials, tribulations, and features of the job by addressing a series of predetermined questions: 

What were the cost implications of the decision to preserve, upgrade, and reuse rather than replacing the building?
Fortis Construction determined upgrading the existing building at $320 per square foot would be less costly than entirely replacing it. Fortis also deemed reuse the more sustainable choice versus building from scratch. Fortis salvaged, repurposed, or otherwise diverted from the landfill all demolished or removed materials.

What special techniques were used to repair and upgrade structural systems while maintaining the historic integrity of the building exterior?
Meeting the requirements of the Historic District necessitated a laser survey of the original exterior stonework to ensure its accurate replication with the new work. A total of 1.5 million points was located with exactitude by the laser equipment. The seismic upgrade was a hybrid system involving insertion of new lateral-force resisting elements and reinforcement of the existing structure. 

Furman Hall after the removal of its original stone cladding (photo courtesy of FFA Architecture & Interiors, Inc.)

What was the process for replacement of the exterior wall system?
The team documented the existing historic conditions before removing the exterior stonework.(5) Fortis Construction inserted new shear walls and new wall framing with insulation and sheathing to back up the limestone veneer. The windows are new (aluminum-clad wood) with profiles that match the original sashes. Other new elements exactly match the appearance of the building as it was during the 1930s following the series of renovations during that decade. 

How did the special needs of 21st century education influence the interior design while having limited impact on the exterior portions of the building?
FFA designed the interior renovation to meet the 21st century needs of the College of Education. Key features include improved openness and connectivity to encourage better communication and interaction. FFA removed existing walls and inserted an atrium connecting all floors, which is topped with skylights bringing natural light deep into the building. Interior glass walls help further bring natural light deep into each floor. 

Interior atrium of the remodeled Furman Hall.

What efforts were taken to include sustainable materials and systems in the solution? As much of the existing structure possible was saved and re-used. New insulated glass skylights and windows replaced old, leaky units. The new windows are operable, allowing natural ventilation. Energy-efficient heating and ventilating systems, lighting systems and controls, and low-flow plumbing fixtures were also installed. 

How was the building's structural system upgraded and did these upgrades bring the structure up to current seismic code standards?
The design team introduced new CMU shear walls at each of the four corners of the building at all floors. New foundations were required at the shear walls, tied to the perimeter of the existing concrete floor structure and roof structure framing. Also added was new plywood sheathing over the entire existing roof area. 

The restoration included the exact duplication of the original stone facade's features (including lintel stones left in place after a 1930s remodel added a second main building entrance, eliminating a window and obviating the need for the lintel).

What were the most difficult tasks (planning, design, and construction) that challenged the project team and were there any unique or break-through technical solutions or management approaches that can be employed on other similar projects?
The technical challenges associated with removal of the exterior envelope while maintaining the stability of the structure for the rehabilitation were significant. These were complicated by the funding limitations, which required documentation of the exterior and structural upgrades separate from the interior package. Additionally, achieving consensus with the user group proved difficult—translating big ideas into a specific program for the College of Education. 

Time-lapse construction video by Campaign for OSU - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2LeMLqG_AE

The Furman Hall project took 14 months to complete from start of construction through its completion in January 2012. The end result is a historically accurate exterior restoration of Education Hall as it stood during the 1930s (deemed by FFA as its most definitive configuration) and a thoroughly modern and efficient interior remodel.(6) Without a doubt, the team of FFA, Fortis, and OSU has injected new energy into a beloved campus landmark, extending its useful life for many decades to come. The project is a sterling example of how older buildings can successfully be adapted for contemporary use while preserving a worthy heritage. 

Big thanks to Troy, Matt, and Larrie for sharing their experience with us. Thanks too to John Evans and his firm Pillar Consulting Group, Inc. for sponsoring the evening’s presentation.   

(1) The building is a monument to Joyce Collin Furman, who grew up in Lebanon, Oregon and received her degree in math education at OSU. She became a well-known Oregon philanthropist and strong advocate for homeless youth. To honor her memory, Joyce’s husband, William A. Furman, made the lead gift for the project on behalf of the Joyce N. Furman Memorial Trust.

(2) The fires would leave the wooden roof structure charred but structurally sound.

(3) The National Park Service designated the historic core of Oregon State University as a National Historic District in 2009. One major reason that OSU’s historic district now finds itself on the register is the campus plan upon which it was based, created in 1909 by famed architect John C. Olmsted of the Boston-based Olmsted Brothers landscape architecture firm. OSU is Oregon’s only public or private college or university so represented on the register.  

(4) As the building was opened up, the team discovered much of the structure was not as it seemed. The extent of the fire damage was revealed. Beams failed to actually bear on columns or other supports. And the roof sagged as much as four inches in some places.

(5) The original stone used for the exterior skin was a combination of diorite for the base and sandstone above. The team determined that the diorite base was sound but that the soft sandstone was too compromised to be retained as part of the completed remodel. In its place, FFA selected limestone, which is harder. The stone mason, Columbia Stone, did a remarkable job of replicating the appearance of the original sandstone blocks.

(6) Some, like Steven Semes in his book The Future of the Past, argue that preservation or mere replication of an historic façade while gutting a building’s interior is superficial and violates the original design’s integrity. I suspect I will address this issue in a forthcoming blog post.

A Museum for Corvallis

The new Benton County Historical Society Museum will allow the Society to exhibit its diverse cultural and natural history collections, connect with a broader audience, and bring new life to a streetscape of shops, residences and historic buildings. (Unless noted otherwise, all images by Allied Works Architecture from the Benton County Historical Society & Museum website).

Museums are full of life! Despite old stereotypes to the contrary, museums are living, breathing institutions that evolve on a daily basis. The Benton County Historical Society & Museum is a case in point: In 2008, the BCHS acquired the Horner Collection from Oregon State University, a truly remarkable treasure trove of significant artifacts.

However, like the fascinating attic full of wonderful objects we explored as children in our grandparents’ house, the Horner Collection is largely hidden away. The majority of the artifacts is not on public display at the BCHS’ current home in the 1867 Philomath College Building, (restored and converted to use as a museum in 1980); rather, the bulk of the collection is housed next door in a spacious storage and curatorial facility. Only limited public access to the storage building’s contents is possible.

The need for additional display space is clear to the Historical Society, and it has embarked upon an ambitious campaign to build a new museum in downtown Corvallis. A new building will ensure that the artifacts in the Horner Collection are shared with as many Benton County residents and visitors as possible, including anthropologists, geologists, archaeologists, paleontologists, historians, genealogists, educators, students, and laypersons.

The proposed museum will be located at the corner of Second and Adams Streets in downtown Corvallis, Oregon.

The Bilbao Effect
Over the course of the past twenty years or so, institutions and entire communities have placed their faith in the development of new showcase museum buildings designed by “star” architects like Frank Gehry, Santiago Calatrava, Renzo Piano, and Daniel Liebeskind as a means to increase patronage and support. Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, is particularly famous for the power of its dramatic architecture to revitalize an entire city and region.

While the BCHSM lacks the enormous financial endowment and support that institutions like the Guggenheim enjoy, it nevertheless aspires to develop an architecturally distinctive building in downtown Corvallis. Toward this end, it issued a Request for Qualifications following its acquisition of the Horner Collection, receiving 12 submissions.(1) The BCHSM ultimately selected Allied Works Architecture’s (AWA) Portland office to prepare a conceptual design.

Allied Works is well-known for its museum projects, which include the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, the expansion of the Seattle Art Museum, the Museum of Arts & Design in New York, and the Clyfford Still Museum in Denver (presently under construction).

Museum of Arts & Design, New York, by Allied Works Architecture (photo via Wikipedia)

Clyfford Still Museum, Denver, by Allied Works Architecture (model photo from website of the Clyfford Still Museum)

Born and raised in Portland, AWA’s principal, Brad Cloepfil, is a 1980 graduate of the UO School of Architecture and Allied Arts.(2) His profile has steadily risen since the success of AWA’s seminal Weiden + Kennedy adaptive reuse project.

I'm only starting to learn about Brad Cloepfil’s approach to creating architecture. He is sought after by museums because of his ability to craft buildings that shift your perception so that you are open to new experiences. He views each of his museums as a “vessel” whose purpose it is to prepare you to see something different.

Cloepfil often looks to art to inform his design process; in the past, he has taken inspiration from artists like Donald Judd and Richard Serra, whose works are overtly spatial in their genesis. He has also been profoundly influenced by the Oregon landscape, as well as the expressive potential of construction and structure. Museum directors appreciate that he searches for the right questions to ask in an attempt to gather in the forces of their institution – its dreams, as well as the spirit and history of the place.

His buildings are famously non-expressive, at least when compared to those of the more heralded “starchitects.” In a July 2007 piece for Metropolis, writer Andrew Blum characterized Cloepfil as an “elementalist,” the embodiment of a shift away from glib shape-making (a la Gehry or Libeskind) toward a more timeless and lasting architecture:

. . . the relative unrenderability(sic) of Cloepfil’s work is a remarkable change from most museum projects—undoubtedly a blessing and a curse. Not that the finished buildings suffer; if anything, they gain power for not pandering to the camera. But architecture is salesmanship, and Cloepfil doesn’t make it easy for himself. “There are at times frustrations with clients and boards because they always want to know what it looks like,” he admits. “And if you say, ‘We don’t know yet,’ rather than sit at the podium and do a watercolor and say, ‘Here it is’—that’s just not the way we work. It isn’t like I don’t care how a building communicates visually. It’s just not a beginning place.”

In some respects, I find Cloepfil’s design approach akin to that of Peter Zumthor and David Chipperfield, with their emphasis upon the sensory aspects of the architectural experience. I’m also reminded somewhat of the architecture of Herzog & de Meuron, particularly because of the focus upon materiality they share with Cloepfil.

I hope to learn more about Brad Cloepfil and the work of Allied Works Architecture. There appear to be two recently published monographs that showcase the work of AWA but I have yet to get my hands on either of them. I expect to eventually add one or the other to my bookshelf.

The first floor includes two courtyards, a museum store, spacious lobby, education/event space and a project gallery. The red line indicates a series of built-in wall cases.

The second floor includes three gallery spaces, two of which can be sub-divided.

Fundamental Issues
A museum is a dynamic operation with an ever-changing collection, and its architecture must be responsive to much more than just the functional demands associated with the display of artifacts. The architecture of a good museum will be in harmony with the type of museum and subject matter that it supports – neutral for the exhibits, but expressive and memorable in its own right where people access the museum and formulate first and last impressions.

The architecture ought to be compatible with its surroundings, reflective of community pride and values, and be inviting and accessible. In short, the architecture should seek to both draw its inspiration from and support the evolving, dynamic life of the museum.

Upper floor gallery spaces.

There are several other issues related to realizing a new museum for the Historical Society in downtown Corvallis. These include:

• Development of a broadly-appealing design that will attract the support of donors and friends of the Museum.
• Provision of flexible gallery spaces capable not only of optimally displaying the diverse pieces of the Horner Collection, but also accommodating the needs of varied traveling exhibits.
• Clear organization of a functional program and barrier-free building circulation on a site that, by necessity, requires arraying displays and other spaces across multiple floors.
• Creation of a building that contributes positively to the urban experience of a vibrant and revitalized area of downtown Corvallis.
• Implementation of appropriate sustainable design strategies to achieve LEED Gold certification as required by the RFQ’s project brief.

AWA’s concept addresses these issues with a two-story scheme that features high-ceilinged galleries, flexible exhibit space, a pair of courtyards, and a museum store rendered in the firm’s characteristically modernistic idiom. One measure of AWA’s success will be how successfully it assembles the desired complement of functional spaces on the relatively tight, urban site. The Historical Society’s charge to AWA is to ensure that the layout of spaces maximizes efficiencies to the greatest extent possible, while simultaneously providing a gracious experience for museum visitors.

Upper floor gallery spaces.

Ultimately, the new museum may or may not resemble the images shown here. AWA’s work is not conceived in scenographic terms; as Andrew Blum noted in Metropolis, the firm’s projects do not pander to the camera. Like everyone else, I will have to look forward to visiting the completed project before being able to render fair judgment about the design.

Second Street elevation.

By selecting Allied Works Architecture, the Benton County Historical Society has swung for the fences. It remains to be seen if it has hit a home run. Based on the promise of his past projects, Brad Cloepfil offers the Society good odds to deliver a one-of-a-kind facility that will bring to light the wonders of the Horner Collection.

(1) My firm – Robertson/Sherwood/Architects – coveted this project. Alas, we were not short-listed because a) on reputation alone, how could we compete with the likes of AWA?; and b) we could not boast a large portfolio of museum-related projects (our most relevant project is our 2009 addition to the Museum of Natural & Cultural History at the University of Oregon).

During our pursuit of the commission, I had the pleasure to speak with BCHSM Executive Director Irene Zenev several times. Irene “gets” architecture and recognizes the fact that the proposed museum will be a civic asset for downtown Corvallis. She understands that outstanding architecture will deliver added value to the display of the Horner Collection.

(2) Because Cloepfil graduated in 1980, he and I never crossed paths (I began my studies at the University of Oregon in the fall of 1980). He completed graduate studies at Columbia University in 1985 after a stint working with Mario Botta in Switzerland, with whom he shares an emphasis on craftsmanship and geometric order. Cloepfil founded Allied Works Architecture in 1994.

August AIA-SWO Chapter Meeting Recap

Sidewalk in Olympia, WA, strewn with fallen parapet debris as a result of the 2001 Nisqually earthquake (photo courtesy of John Evans)

Are earthquakes real or are they myths spread by structural engineers looking for work? In all seriousness, they’re very much real and their impact upon the design of buildings cannot be underestimated by architects. This is particularly true when older, unreinforced masonry structures are involved. As our August AIA-SWO chapter meeting speaker John Evans, P.E. explained, the threat to life safety posed by earthquakes demands our attention.

John is a principal with Pillar Consulting Group, Inc. in Corvallis(1). He and his colleague Joe McCormick, P.E. delivered a comprehensive primer for architects who are involved with the design of renovations to unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings.

John began his presentation with a sobering account of the damage and death toll wrought by two recent tremblors. The December 2004 event in North Sumatra registered as a magnitude 9.1 earthquake. It resulted in 227,898 fatalities, many as a result of the devastating tsunami it would trigger along the landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean. The January 1994 Northridge, California earthquake killed sixty people and injured 7,000 more. While “only” a magnitude 6.7 quake, it caused $20 billion in property damage, making it one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history.

The North Sumatra earthquake (the second largest ever measured) was caused by subduction. Subduction occurs when the boundary of one tectonic plate slides beneath another, suddenly releasing the strain associated with plate convergence. The Northridge occurrence was another type of earthquake, the product of a crustal fault.

Here in Oregon, we are at risk of experiencing earthquakes of both types. Fault-induced quakes occur more frequently; their magnitude seldom exceeds 6.5. Nevertheless, they can cause significant damage (such as during the magnitude 6.0 earthquake that struck Klamath Falls in 1993). The Cascadia subduction zone – the boundary where the Juan de Fuca plate is sliding beneath the North American plate – can generate a huge quake, as much as magnitude 9.0. The last known subduction event occurred in 1700.(2) They’re estimated to occur every 300 to 500 years, so we’re coming due again.

Subduction

The bottom line is that there may be greater potential for seismic activity in our State than is often recognized by Oregonians. To minimize the risk to life and property, it behooves us to understand the effect of earthquakes and the lateral forces they generate upon the vulnerable, older building stock in our communities, particularly those constructed of unreinforced masonry.

John described two standards, ASCE-31, “Seismic Evaluation of Existing Buildings”, and ASCE-41, “Seismic Rehabilitation of Existing Buildings”, which have been constantly updated and are available to structural engineers to help address the problems posed by URM buildings. ASCE 31 provides a series of evaluation tools to evaluate the seismic adequacy of existing buildings. ASCE 41 defines three performance levels that serve as the basis of a rehabilitation objective: immediate occupancy, life safety, and collapse prevention.

Typical URM failures and their respective “fixes” include:

• Falling parapets: Remove, brace, or core and reinforce vulnerable parapets to prevent them from falling
• Walls failing out of plane: Add connections at the floors and roof; reduce the wall span; and/or add collapse supports at beams and columns.
• Walls failing in plane (because of low shear capacity): Re-point mortar joints; apply sheets of fiber-reinforced plastic panels; and/or add a new lateral force resistance system.
• Weak or soft stories: Add concrete shearwalls; add steel braced frames; and/or add steel moment frames.

Weak story damage in San Francisco as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake (photo courtesy of John Evans)

Our venue for the August chapter meeting – the Water Street Market in Corvallis – was a convenient example of a building that previously lacked adequate reinforcing and has been extensively upgraded to improve its earthquake performance level. Faced with a mandate to address seismic safety in a building over 90 years old, the owner turned to Pillar Consulting Group for assistance. The firm developed an investigation, testing and rehabilitation scheme to upgrade the building without displacing the tenants. Extensive field investigation and testing was required. Construction of the rehab measures occurred while the building remained fully occupied and functional. Exposed to view, the newly installed connectors, braces, and ties add visual interest to the original architecture. These new additions demonstrate that, approached creatively, URM improvements can be integrated successfully and attractively.

Drawing by Pillar Consulting Group describing retrofit measures for the Water Street Market building.

Thanks to John and Joe for this informative presentation to AIA-SWO. We had a nice turnout, as twenty-three members and guests were on hand to enjoy pre-dinner drinks from Belle Vallee Cellars on the outdoor patio, followed by the culinary delights prepared by the Aqua Seafood Restaurant inside the Market building. We plan on continuing our tradition of conducting one AIA-SWO chapter meeting each year in Corvallis. I’m looking forward to our future meetings in the heart of the valley!


(1) Pillar Consulting Group, Inc. is a professional engineering and design consulting firm, specializing in civil engineering, structural engineering, and industrial plant planning and design.

(2) From Wikipedia: "Evidence supporting the occurrence of the 1700 earthquake suggests that it took place at about 9:00 PM on January 26, 1700. Although there were no written records in the region at the time, the earthquake's precise time is nevertheless known from Japanese records of a tsunami that has not been tied to any other Pacific Rim earthquake. The most important clue linking the tsunami in Japan and the earthquake in the Pacific Northwest comes from studies of tree rings which show that red cedar trees killed by lowering of coastal forests into the tidal zone by the earthquake have outermost growth rings that formed in 1699, the last growing season before the tsunami. Oral traditions describing a large quake also exist among the region's inhabitants, although these do not specify the date."