Waechter Architecture

Last night's panel was an inspiration and evidence of our region's expanding expertise and diversity of approaches to mass timber design and construction. Thanks to our fellow presenters and attendees, and to Randy Gragg and William Smith for organizing these conversations around the City of Possibility exhibition. Looking forward to the final events, and to welcoming everyone arriving in town for the International Mass Timber Conference next week.

On Timber: Models of Design —?this evening's event for City of Possibility — should be a stimulating discussion, and a chance to see the inspiration behind each firm's work. We hope you'll join us at the J.K. Gill Building, and also catch a glimpse of our new mass timber models on exhibit. 6 PM – 7:30 PM, 408 SW 5th Ave, Portland, OR 97204 From the event website: Five innovators — Rena Simon, ZGF, Thomas Robinson, FAIA, LEVER, Ben Waechter, FAIA, Waechter Architecture, Jennifer Bonner, MALL and Benjamin Kaiser, LSW — each present a project that is not their own, followed by one timber project that exemplifies their unique approach to wood construction.

A great article by Kelly Pau for AN Interior on our latest residence, Trilogy House. As the name suggests, it's a project in three parts, taking the traditional house organization—a working basement, a main floor for socialization, and private bedrooms above—and transforming each into a distinct material and spatial experience. The project was a close collaboration with our clients Dan Diephouse and Jeanne Feldkamp, and her emerging interiors practice, Heirloom Modern. The careful choreography and attention to detail assures that the whole is indeed more than the sum of its parts. Read on at the link for more info! https://lnkd.in/gfJKdsAB

Happening this evening — and space is still available to hear a great panel (including Waechter's Duncan Scovil) share recent works and research on infill housing. See you at 6PM!

We’re thrilled to be a supporter and a participant in City of Possibility—an exhibition of architectural models from Portland’s past, present, and future. The exhibit will occupy gallery space in the Expensify Headquarters and the ground floor of the JK Gill Building at 5th Avenue and Harvey Milk Street, and Waechter's Composition Studies will be on view at this key intersection. The exhibit opens this weekend and will continue through March 27th. For times and info go to cityofpossibility.net — and see the attached article in The Architect's Newspaper for an overview and conversation with the organizers and curators. https://lnkd.in/ge94czCj?

The Woodland House is taking shape on a ridge above the Lewis River, and our whole team took advantage of the sunny weather yesterday to review progress on the construction. With a crisp exterior, warm materials and finishes, and a range of special features, the house straddles the line between a luxury wilderness retreat and a simple forest tower. We're grateful to Hammer and Hand and all our subs for being thorough and dedicated partners on this project. More to come!?

Waechter was featured in the recent USDA Forest Service Success Story series, which chronicled our use of Wood Innovation Grant funding to document methods and conduct post-occupancy analysis of our firm's mixed-use mass timber prototype, the Mississippi Workshop. What's less known is that the grant also supported the design of three new "all-wood" building types using the same construction principles: modular housing, a commercial / creative office block, and a long-span assembly building. We will unveil models and visualizations of these as part of next year's City of Possibility exhibition in Portland, and during the International Mass Timber Conference. You can read more at the link ~ or join us in 2025 for a detailed presentation. https://lnkd.in/gkAwbbk7

For all of 2024, we’ve been working in the Gateway District in the City Of McMinnville, Oregon on an as-yet-unpublished project. It’s a fascinating location, and we’re thrilled to have a new opportunity to explore its potential as a finalist for the redevelopment of the 3.6-acre NW Rubber site off of Alpine Avenue. We’ll be at Civic Hall in McMinnville this Thursday from 4 PM-7 PM? for a community design workshop, alongside our project partners Ethos Development, Home First, PLACE Landscape Architecture, BKF Engineers, Essex Construction, and the PSU Center for Public Interest Design. If you’re a resident, business owner, or supporter of the city, we invite you to join us as we look to provide needed workforce and multifamily housing, and equally, create a model mixed-use, all-ages community in the heart of the city.? More info about the event is on the City’s main page: www.mcminnvilleoregon.gov

It was quite a night to celebrate with our team, new staff, clients and collaborators! Thanks to everyone at AIA Oregon for organizing such a great event, and congrats to all of this year's honorees—we're grateful to be part of such a talented community.

If you missed Ben Waechter's live lecture for the USDA Forest Service and Softwood Lumber Board on the Mississippi Workshop last month, you can still gain insights (and CEU's) on its design principles, construction strategies, and lessons learned at the following links: Wood Institute: https://lnkd.in/gz-h-Dmy Zonda Media: https://lnkd.in/gSENYaGA Thanks to Reed Kelterborn and Simon Hyoun at SLB for supporting this effort, and to our suppliers, fabricators, and builder partners KLH Massivholz, Owen Gabbert, LLC, and Brian Purdy / Cutwater PDX for their work in bringing everything together.