From Concept to Reality

Members of Robertson/Sherwood/Architects tour the University of Oregon Student Recreation Center Expansion project work site, June 10, 2014) 

My coworkers at Robertson/Sherwood/Architects (RSA) and I recently took advantage of a perfect late spring day to tour the University of Oregon’s Student Recreation Center (SRC) Expansion jobsite. The $50 million project is currently the largest our office has under construction. As always, the opportunity to visit a construction site to see a building we’ve designed emerge from concept to reality is a special treat. This is especially true for the younger members of our office who may be less familiar with the realities of construction and the consequences of decisions made during the design process. I likewise found the visit informative since I am not one of the members of the SRC project team.

Rendering of the University of Oregon Student Recreation Center Expansion project

Carl Sherwood, AIA is the RSA principal-in-charge for the SRC project and also our firm’s primary liaison with the builders and the university during the construction period. Carl led our tour of the jobsite, along with Dave Quivey, project manager for Howard S. Wright Construction.(1)

Carl Sherwood, AIA (left) of Robertson/Sherwood/Architects and Dave Quivey of Howard S. Wright Construction discuss a point during our tour of the Student Recreation Center Expansion project.

The students of the University of Oregon approved the renovation and expansion of the SRC primarily because of how much they value its importance to campus life and their well-being. The center was previously designed to accommodate only 2,500 people per day but daily usage had increased in recent years to between 4,500 and 6,500 students, faculty, and staff. This resulted in tremendous overcrowding and user frustration. Also, barriers to accessibility existed and, because of obsolete building systems, large portions of the SRC were functionally inefficient and costly to maintain.

The following are some of the key highlights of this student-funded project:

• 110,000 square feet of new space
• 40,000 square feet of renovated space
• An expanded fitness space (weights and cardio space will double in size)
• New group exercise and yoga studios
• A new cycling studio
• An additional 3-court gym (more capacity for basketball, volleyball, and badminton)
• A 12-lane lap pool (used for lap swimming, water polo, water aerobics, and instructional classes)
• A 3-lane recreational pool (water volleyball & basketball, and instructional classes)
• 1 whirlpool spa
• New and expanded 2-story locker rooms with private showers
• New social and lounge spaces
• A target of LEED Gold certification

For more information about our team's design for the SRC, check out this video tour of the future facility:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF5UdK8vK6s

Presently, construction of the SRC is about halfway complete. Howard S. Wright (HSW) initiated work onsite late last summer, and promises to have the facility ready for its grand opening early next year. HSW has finished erecting all of the structural steel framing for the additions, so it was easy for us to envision the various spaces, including such volumes as the new gymnasiums and the new natatorium. With the major structural work now in the rearview mirror, HSW has ramped up the level of construction activity considerably, with many dozens of skilled tradesmen and women now working side-by-side on the crowded site. Overall, the construction progress is impressive and the project is looking good!

To ease referencing of documents during construction, employees of Howard S. Wright Construction can access hyper-linked, always updated, electronic drawing files and specifications at an onsite computer workstation .

Like several of our most significant projects, our design for the Student Recreation Center Expansion is the product of a collaboration.(2) RSA may be the Architect-of-Record but we share credit for the facility’s design equally with RDG Planning & Design of Des Moines, IA and Poticha Architects of Eugene. RDG is one of the nation’s leading designers of campus recreation facilities. The firm boasts an impressive portfolio, including student recreation centers for the University of Florida, Iowa State University, the University of Iowa, Montclair State University, and the University of North Carolina. The eponymously named Poticha Architects is headed by the curmudgeonly Otto Poticha, FAIA, who needs no introduction to readers of this blog.

The smiling crew of Robertson/Sherwood/Architects at the conclusion of our construction tour. Standing out in his orange vest is Carl Sherwood, AIA, principal-in-charge for the SRC project.

I’m always surprised by how builders translate our abstract visions with such fidelity into very real, brick and mortar buildings. Every line we draw (or more accurately these days, every virtual component we model) is ultimately executed as a fabricated or assembled element that must perform as we intended it to. Each design decision we make is consequential. It’s this point that is perhaps the most valuable lesson every young intern must learn.

Want to ensure a design concept is faithfully translated into reality? Don’t be cavalier about your duties as an architect or designer. The devil is in the details. Make sure your design documentation is clear, concise, complete, and correct. Doing so will always pay dividends once construction begins.

(1)  Howard S. Wright’s role is as the project’s Construction Manager/General Contractor. The University of Oregon favors the CM/GC project delivery method (also known as “CM at Risk”) for its largest projects for a number of reasons. These include the collaborative nature of the CM process, the potential to accelerate the design and construction phases of the project, and because the CM provides the university with a guaranteed maximum price.

(2)  The Eugene Public Library and the Lane Community College Downtown Campus are two other noteworthy examples of projects in which we partnered with other architects. We thoroughly enjoy opportunities to collaborate with notable, talented firms. We learn from these experiences, bolster our own portfolio, and win commissions we otherwise would have little chance of securing by ourselves.

2018 AIA-Southwestern Oregon Design Awards

The 2018 AIA-SWO Design Awards ceremony was held at the Ford Alumni Center on the University of Oregon campus. The pre-event, well-stocked cash-bar was very popular! (Photo by AIA-SWO)

The purpose of the AIA Southwestern Oregon Chapter Design Awards is to celebrate achievements in design excellence by member firms, generate greater public interest in architecture, and honor the architects, clients, and consultants who work together to enhance our built environment. Because the awards program only occurs every four years or so, each one is truly special. The 2018 edition was no exception. The breadth and quality of the entrants reflected the continued improvement in the fortunes of the architecture and construction marketplace since the last program, and certainly met expectations bred by long years of anticipation since the last AIA-SWO design awards program in 2014. 

Big thanks to the Design Awards Committee—led by Jenna Fribley, AIA—which assembled an outstanding group of jurors to evaluate the design submissions for this year’s awards program: 

Gary Aquilina, AIA – Principal, CAS Architects 
Ruth Baleiko, AIA – Partner, Miller Hull 
Robert Hastings, FAIA (jury chair) – Agency Architect, TriMet 
Cassandra Keller – Principal, Clark Keller 
Carrie Strickland, FAIA – Principal, Works Progress Architecture 

2018 AIASWO DA Juror Intros from frank visconti on Vimeo.

The jury selected a total of 11 projects to receive awards. Of these, two are student projects, four are Citation Award winners, two received Merit Awards, and three are Honor Award recipients (the AIA’s highest commendation). 

Speranza Architecture + Urban Design was the evening’s big winner. The jury bestowed three of the Citation Awards and one Honor Award on the young firm. Principal and founder Phil Speranza, AIA—also an assistant professor at the UO College of Design, and a relatively recent transplant from the east coast—is someone to keep an eye on as his firm leaves its mark on the local architectural scene in the years to come. 

Past AIA-SWO president (2016) Stan Honn, AIA emceed the event. Current president Frank Visconti, AIA presented the awards to the recipients, while jury chair Bob Hastings, FAIA shared some of the jury’s comments for all the winning entries. 

Here is the list of the 2018 AIA-SWO Design Awards Program recipients: 

Honor Awards:

UO Student Recreation Center

Robertson | Sherwood | Architects pc 

RDG Planning | Design

Poticha Architects 

Owner/Client: University of Oregon 

Location: Eugene, OR 

Jury Comments: 
“A wonderful achievement in unifying a series of existing buildings. The design utilized creative strategies to connect a disparate set of buildings who were built at different times, and with different program, materials, and construction. In particular the ceiling treatments created both a sense of continuity, while also providing for individual program activities. Strong visual connections between spaces and activities improved the sense of the community. The jury was impressed how active and contemplative spaces could be accommodated without compromise. 

“Environmental performance of the buildings’ systems actually enhanced the interior activities, while providing access and exposure of the external environment. The building’s external elevations, materials, and lighting create strong connections to the University urban design and enhance its qualities.” 

Arts and Technology Academy 

Rowell Brokaw Architects 

Opsis Architecture 

Owner/Client:  4J Eugene School District 

Location: Eugene, OR 

Jury Comments: 
“A fantastic renovation of an existing school that interprets a new pedagogy for STEM curriculum with a new organization for this middle school. The result feels like a completely new institution that embraces open and transparent spaces for learning. New relationships are skillfully organized both in plan and section by providing places of learning for classes and well as small groups and individual spaces. 

“The result is a unifying whole of existing spaces, materials, and structure with the new additions that create a complete translation for the school. Particular skill was demonstrated in the architectural treatments that unify existing structure, materials, and spaces with the new construction. The end result is both robust and delicate…elegant and durable.” 

Push Pull House 

Speranza Architecture + Urban Design 

Owner/Client: Jeff & Victoria Wilson-Charles 

Location: Veneta, OR 

Jury Comments: 
“While simple and elegant in plan the house’s sections create a vibrant juxtaposition. Careful attention to the use of volumes for lighting, heating, and cooling results in poetic special contrasts.  The use of common materials…wood, plaster, concrete, and glass…have been masterfully orchestrated to create un-common spaces. 

“The jury commends the building’s craftsmanship, especially considering the modest construction cost, and how it accentuates the power of well design spaces. The overall effect creates a beautiful relationship between inner space and the surrounding forest environment.” 

Merit Awards:

Roosevelt Middle School 

Mahlum Architects 

Robertson | Sherwood | Architects pc 

Owner/Client: Eugene School District 4J 

Location: Eugene, OR 

Jury Comments: 
“The plan of the school strongly reflects its mission to provide places of learning, social interaction, and teacher – student engagement. Transparency between small group, corridors, and vertical transition directly correlate with the school’s educational purpose. Throughout the interior, glazing and openings are arranged to promote both the sense of connectedness, and how people come together. 

“The jury commends how this school helps students transition from child to young adult, by encouraging exploration and discovery in a wonderful learning environment. In particular, the jury was impressed by the thoughtful use of glazing, color, lighting, and wall materials to create a sense of permanence and transition.” 

1203 Willamette 

Rowell Brokaw Architects 

Owner/Client: 1203 Willamette, LLC 

Location: Eugene, OR 

Jury Comments: 
“The adaptive reuse of a 1940’s era furniture store with limited relationship to the life of downtown Eugene, is a terrific case study of urban revitalization. The design decision to use removal rather than insertion proved to be an excellent strategy. By engaging both levels of the original building, it completely transforms the streetscape and greatly contributes to the City’s livability. 

“The jury commends the use of the building’s elements of wood structure, open fenestrations, and authentic materials to create lively interior and exterior spaces. In particular, the jury recognizes the careful proportions, scale of spaces, use of elemental materials, interior and exterior lighting, vertical circulation and layering of movement.” 

Citation Awards: 

Roseburg Forest Products 

Rowell Brokaw Architects 

Owner/Client: Roseburg Forest Projects 

Location: Springfield, OR 

Jury Comments: 
“What could have been another example of treating large box buildings as part of our disposable society instead became a wonderful revitalization. The plan to organize the perimeter of the triangulated building into open offices, while enlivening the center with gathering and meeting spaces, resulted in a compete transformation. The clear use of materials, color, natural and artificial lighting, and furnishings is exemplary. What is especially powerful is the creation of a central space that promotes and engenders equity.” 

Eugene Public Food Market 

Speranza Architecture + Urban Design 

Owner/Client: Three Muses 

Location: Eugene, OR 

Jury Comments: 
“This proposed adaptive reuse of the former EWEB building could be a significant part of the City’s downtown transformation. This project proposal includes the leveraging of the existing building’s significant elements (most notably the bow-string trusses), but equally important is the programmatic role of a year-round, and night & day, public food market. 

“The jury’s challenge is to incorporate the proposed new tower, complete with LED lighting, as an urban marker for the Market.  It should contribute greatly to the Market’s character, the downtown’s ‘Great Loop’ initiative, and linking to the City’s neighborhoods.” 

Birch Fircrest House 

Speranza Architecture + Urban Design 

Owner/Client: Philip Speranza 

Location: Eugene, OR 

Jury Comments: 
“While bold in form, the strength of this house design derives from careful analysis of its site and environmental factors. In plan, section, and elevation the house’s design is consistent in its formal response. 

“The jury is still out on the proposed exterior siding material, window size and placements, and site material treatments. These need careful consideration to achieve a holistic expression of distant and internal relationships.” 

Hult Center for the Performing Arts Plaza Renovation Study 

Speranza Architecture + Urban Design 

Owner/Client: City of Eugene Cultural Services 

Location: Eugene, OR 

Jury Comments: 
“This proposal seeks to enliven the Center’s exterior public space by transforming it into a dynamic series of outdoor spaces, emulating the nature of the Center’s performance hall. However, in this instance the audience becomes the performers. Through careful analysis and gathering of real time data the Plaza would express the qualities of its users. 

“The Jury commends the passion and desire to transform this urban space into something truly ‘world class’, and for supporting and contributing to the City’s ‘Great Loop’ initiative.” 

Student Awards:

The Arch at Hayward Field 

Nicole Giustino, August Lehnert, & Max Moore 

Client: University of Oregon 

Location: Eugene, OR 

Jury Comments: 

• Innovative use of material(wood) to develop an elegant solution to a functional problem. 
• Very compelling idea which combines traditional with new state-of-the-art technology. 

Sitka Sedge 

Benjamin Fuglevand 

Client: State of Oregon Visitors Center 

Location: Tillamook County, Oregon Coast 

Jury Comments: 

• A modern, approach to farming, and teaching. Simple structure, formal response to climate, very believable in its execution and research. Energy modeling provides the designer with validation of design process and goals set for this work. 
• A wonderfully developed scheme; well thought out and with a compelling brief. Excellent backup data and analysis too. 

*    *    *    *    *    * 

Design awards programs help us to celebrate what we do as architects. They are evidence our profession aspires to be the best it can be. They elevate the quality of our work by setting the bar high. I know I am not alone in looking forward to the next edition and once again recognizing and celebrating the best work of AIA-Southwestern Oregon member firms.

The Rec

The University of Oregon's completed Student Recreation Center Expansion (left in photo). Image from the UO Student Recreation Center's Facebook page)

 

With great fanfare, the University of Oregon celebrated the opening on January 5 of its newly expanded and renovated Student Recreation Center. Thousands of giddy students poured through the doors, awestruck by the shiny, feature-packed, state-of-the-art temple to fitness. No small number acknowledged the facility’s significance, having overwhelmingly chosen to finance $50 million in improvements by means of a substantial student fee levy. The joyous occasion served as vindication of the trust they invested in a design concept that now stands as their legacy to future generations of Ducks.

 

It was also a proud moment for the members of Robertson/Sherwood/ Architects (the firm I work for), especially so for Carl Sherwood, AIA and Jenni Rogers, Assoc. AIA. Carl provided leadership for the large, multidisciplinary design team (which included RDG Planning & Design of Des Moines, IA and Poticha Architects of Eugene), and Jenni served as Carl’s primary backup throughout the construction period. These two worked tirelessly, shedding blood, sweat, and tears to help ensure the project’s success. 

 

Likewise, the celebration marked a satisfying milestone for Howard S. Wright Construction (HSW) and its legions of skilled and dedicated subcontractors. They completed the enormously complex project on schedule, within a timeline for which the adjective “aggressive” is most definitely an understatement. Kudos to HSW for making the seemingly impossible a reality.

 

View from Functional Training area. Photo by Jenni Rogers, Assoc. AIA

It was just last June that I blogged about how the project was taking shape. It was still very much a work in progress back then. Construction was perhaps only half complete, but it was easy to picture what it would look like when finished. Now that opening day has come, it’s clear our team has fulfilled the university’s vision of a modern, energy-efficient student recreation facility meeting both current and future needs.

 

The new natatorium. Photo by Jenni Rogers, Assoc. AIA

The university marked the achievement by affectionately rechristening the Student Recreation Center as “The Rec” on opening day.

 

Looking down on "Main Street." Photo by Jenni Rogers, Assoc. AIA

The photos I’ve posted here only hint at how massive the makeover is. What was previously cramped, dark, or simply obsolete is now spacious, bright, and high-tech. The facility boasts new group exercise and yoga studios, a new cycling studio, expanded fitness spaces, an extended rock climbing wall, a new natatorium, a new gymnasium, and generous social and lounge spaces, arrayed across 110,000 square feet of new space and 40,000 square feet of renovated area. The design exceeds State Energy Efficient Design (SEED) standards, having targeted the UO Model of Sustainable Development, which demands 35% more energy efficiency than Oregon Energy Code requirements. The project is on track to achieve LEED Platinum certification.

 

The Great Hall. Photo by Jenni Rogers, Assoc. AIA

 

The design incorporates expansive walls of glass, inside and out, allowing students to see and be seen at The Rec, drawing even more people into the building. The multilevel, spatially dynamic interior lets students visually shop the recreation programs and choose to participate actively or vicariously. Sections of the building have their own names: “Uptown,” for the cardio and weightlifting areas; “Midtown,” for the lobby, rock gym and rooms for fitness classes; and “Downtown,” for the aquatics facility. The student-centered ambiance is inviting, airy, and full of energy. 

 

The Rec also features integrated art, funded by Oregon’s 1% for Art in Public Places program.



Integrated art in the Great Hall. Image from the UO Student Recreation Center's Facebook page)

 

Radically transformed, The Rec is now unrivaled among the country’s campus recreation centers. Like the University of Oregon’s peerless athletic facilities, The Rec is top-notch, the standard against which others will be compared. 

 

More than ever before, the student recreation center is a focus of campus life, a de rigueur fixture on the college landscape. In today’s competitive world of higher education, the quality and amenities of the center are often key factors in the recruitment and retention of prospective students. A well-designed recreation facility is clearly important to both the university administration and those who attend the institution. We’re confident The Rec will reinforce the University of Oregon’s core academic mission by enhancing overall college satisfaction and success, and supporting happier, healthier, and more contented students.

 

Interviewing

My office (Robertson/Sherwood/Architects pc) recently participated in five interviews for potential clients—all inside a three-week span—and I personally was involved in four of the five. While not a remarkable number within such a short period to some firms, for a small one like ours it was unusual. Three of the five projects we pursued would be among the largest we might ever become involved with. In every instance, the interviews were part of formal, multi-step selection processes conducted by corporate clients or public agencies.

For each project, the process entailed an initial response to a Request for Qualifications, in which we described who we are, our relevant experience, and our proposed staffing and project approach. The interviews followed, which meant the selection committee for each client group ranked our team among the highest-scoring candidates for the job and worthy of further consideration.

Interviews are important for both us and our prospective clients. Meeting face-to-face gives everybody an opportunity to know each other better and judge whether the fit will be good for everyone proposed to be involved with the project. Communication style, experience, sense of flexibility, and chemistry all matter. I’m a firm believer in the value of an interview to clients when selecting their architects (and vice versa). More often than not, a project’s ultimate success comes down to relationships, which may be as complex and fraught as a marriage.  

Plenty of advice is available online or in books about how to deliver an effective presentation as part of an interview, so I won’t offer any of my own. What I will do is talk about our recent experiences from my perspective.

For me, the opportunity to put our best foot forward while competing for the most attractive projects is both exciting and satisfying. Exciting because the pursuit of the choicest jobs is exhilarating. Our office is energized by competition. Satisfying because each is a chance to hone our message and interview skills. This is particularly true as our younger staff assume leadership roles on our proposed project teams. Witnessing their professional growth and performance during the interviews is gratifying and bodes well for the future of RSA.

Part of the message we convey is what makes Robertson/Sherwood/Architects the right choice. The team we bring to the table is critical. This is why we welcome the opportunity to interview. We believe who we are is our strength. Pretty pictures of our past projects are helpful but what is absolutely necessary is gaining the confidence of the selection committee members by letting them know we have their interests in mind. This requires demonstrating an understanding of who they are and the unique concerns their projects raise, so it’s important the team members we present at interviews are well-versed on those points.  

We do sometimes need to partner with more substantial firms who bring the requisite portfolio of relevant projects and resources to our proposed teams for a project we’re interested in. This was the case in three of the five jobs we recently interviewed for. We’ve been very fortunate to team up with some outstanding offices over the years, among them Mahlum Architects, DLR Group, SRG Partnership, RDG Planning & Design, Rosser International, and Shepley Bulfinch. In every instance where we’ve done so, we first made sure the personalities of our firms were compatible and the approaches we bring to projects were complementary.

I have consistently found it reassuring in those instances we do partner with large practices of regional or national reach to find we’re not behind the curve when it comes to interviewing and presentation methods. They don’t use advanced presentation technologies that are light years beyond what we’re familiar with. The tools they employ are tried-and-true: PowerPoint, boards mounted on easels, etc. How we produce a presentation for a particular interview boils down to what we believe may be most appropriate to the specifics of the project we’re pursuing and what we know about the selection committee.

While I still sometimes have butterflies in my stomach before an interview, this is now more the exception than the rule. Age and experience, and with it a modicum of wisdom, undoubtedly contribute to the greater ease I feel today during presentations or interviews. It helps to confidently know what I know, and also what I don’t know. I’ve also learned to be present, physically in control, and relaxed as possible. I now actually enjoy participating in interviews.

FYI, our scorecard for the five projects we recently interviewed for is as follows: 

• Wins: Two 
• Losses: One 
• Pending notification: Two

“You win some, you lose some, but real winners know losses make them stronger,” or so goes the tired old cliché. It’s true though—we do learn from each interview experience whether we win the job or not. Vying respectfully with our rivals in the pursuit of commissions is fun because it’s challenging, elicits our best efforts, and prompts us to recognize both our strengths and weaknesses.

Collaboration

New Edison Elementary School, view from south (Mahlum Architects with Robertson/Sherwood/Architects pc)

As a smallish architectural practice, my firm—Robertson/Sherwood/Architects (RSA)—embraces the reality of pursuing work in the small-to-medium-sized Eugene-Springfield market. This reality includes adaptation as generalists. We would not have survived and thrived for as long as we have if we instead had focused on a few, very specific areas of expertise. This strategy has served us well—allowing us to successfully navigate our way across the crests and troughs of a capricious economy—but it also has meant we cannot always claim a depth of experience and capability our potential clients consider as preconditions to selection for their important projects. Accordingly, we have often teamed up with prominent firms of regional and national reach and reputation to pursue the larger, more complex assignments we covet. These collaborators provide expertise and experience complementary to ours, thereby enhancing our prospects for obtaining these significant commissions. 

Some of RSA’s most noteworthy projects were the product of associations with larger, highly regarded architectural offices. These include the Eugene Public Library (with Shepley Bulfinch), the Springfield Justice Center (with ROSSER International), the Corvallis Clinic Surgery Center (with Boulder Associates), the Lane Community College Downtown Campus (with the SRG Partnership and Pyatok Architecture & Urban Design), the University of Oregon Student Recreation Center (with RDG Planning & Design and Poticha Architects), Civic Park (with Skylab Architecture), and multiple K-12 school projects with Mahlum Architects. In each instance, we worked collaboratively with our partners to design the project. In the process, we learned about how these firms go about their business, gaining valuable insights into their organizational structures, methodologies, and cultures. 

Typically, as the locally based firm with established ties to the clients, RSA serves as the executive architect/architect-of-record. We hold the prime design contract with the client/owner. In this capacity, we provide project oversight, technical expertise, and leadership to ensure an integrated project process. We also bring to the table our knowledge of local conditions, established relationships with authorities having jurisdiction and familiarity with their processes, and a rapport with local builders. The firms we collaborate with—though usually much larger than us and with more resources at their disposal—usually function as consultants to us. From the perspective of our clients, our design partners are subcontractors with whom they have no direct contractual ties. 

There are various legal arrangements available for formalizing the relationship between partnering design firms. The prime + subcontractor pact we most often use is one option. Another is a true joint venture, wherein the two parties form a partnership for a specific project. Party A and Party B create an altogether new entity— AB—to provide services to the client. A problem with joint ventures is the amount of legal planning necessary to form one; this involves negotiating the level of financial contribution and risk each party will assume. A third option is a multiple-prime arrangement, though the circumstances favoring such a relationship between primary design team members are infrequent and usually originate at the behest of the client (who may bring the collaborating firm to the project). 

An exception to the prevalence of instances wherein we have assumed the mantle of executive architect is our K-12 work with Mahlum. For these jobs, Mahlum has assumed the lead role. This is in part due to Mahlum’s long history with and high level of favorable recognition among school districts throughout the Pacific Northwest (for the other projects listed above, our collaborators were not always known quantities to the clients, and strategically and logistically it made the most sense for my office to take on project management and prime contractor duties). RSA and Mahlum have collaborated profitably since 2002, a testament to our mutual respect, a repeatable model for success, and compatible values and capabilities. 

Our long experience with Mahlum includes the following projects: 

• North Eugene High School Master Plan 
• Thurston Elementary School 
• Maple Elementary School 
• Roosevelt Middle School 
• Pleasant Hill School District Additions & Renovations 
• Eugene School District High School Education Specifications 
• Edison Elementary School 

Our work on the Edison Elementary School project for Eugene School District 4J, now in the Construction Documents phase, serves as an excellent case in point highlighting the pros of a favorable collaboration. Among these are sharing of technical expertise and know-how, improved economies of scale, and access to an opportunity we might otherwise not have been afforded if we both pursued it individually rather than as a combined team. Common technology platforms both firms use eliminate barriers to effective communication. This has proven especially true during the current work-from-home regime, with our mutual use of Revit for BIM, RingCentral for video conferencing and team messaging, Bluebeam for design reviews, and Miro for online collaboration. Working on a single integrated, cloud-hosted model has allowed us to develop the design from geographically remote locations. For all intents and purposes, we are functioning as a single office on the Edison project rather than as two separate firms. 

Mahlum and RSA negotiated an equitable split of project duties and our associated fees for the Edison job. The breakdown shifts from greater involvement by Mahlum during program verification, Conceptual Design, and Schematic Design, through a more equal division of labor during Design Development and Construction Documents, to heavier responsibilities for RSA during the permitting and Construction Contract Administration phases. Despite this typical assignment of tasks, my office is entirely involved during the early stages of the project. Mahlum welcomes our input during every phase of design, especially because of our intimate familiarity with District 4J and the Edison community; conversely, we expect Mahlum to remain engaged through construction and occupancy of the completed school. We’re all primarily responsible for what we’re best at. As the architects-of-record for Edison, Mahlum is fulfilling its project leadership and management duties. 

The fundamental reason our relationship is so effective comes down to our compatible cultures. Because of our long history together and familiarity with one another, the chemistry between RSA and Mahlum is immediately evident to our clients. Our partnership is truly synergistic and reciprocal. We share a commitment to integrated project planning. We have honed our management and communication processes, refining and testing them over the years. One of the most important aspects of our working relationship has been the development of a team atmosphere based on trust and a spirit of cooperation. The principles we abide by are similar, and the values we hold are in common. Neither firm is fraught with overbearing or clashing egos. The distinct absence of a dominant personality or personalities has fostered an egalitarian and consensus-driven approach to design. We do understand the value of compromise and when it is necessary and beneficial. 

Every opportunity I have had to work with Mahlum has been a treat. The same has been true with each of our other major collaborators. Obviously, we have chosen our partners well, but then again collaboration comes naturally to us. We are proof alliances between large practices and smaller firms can make good business sense for both parties. 

Ultimately, collaboration is a simple concept. Effective communication is crucial. So is maximizing each team members’ strengths, as well as giving credit to others for their contributions. Above all, the power of collaboration resides in the development of shared ideas and their effective implementation toward the best possible projects for our clients and the communities they serve. 

*      *      *      *      * 

As mentioned above, Mahlum and RSA are currently in the process of completing construction documents for the Edison Elementary School project. The design assumes entirely replacing the existing school, which is the oldest and in the poorest condition of all the 4J school buildings. Demolition of the old building will occur this coming winter, with construction of the new building immediately following. The new Edison Elementary School will be ready to welcome back its students in September 2022. 

Check out the video below for a 3D virtual tour through the new design.