Otak Blog

Cedar Creek Culvert to Bridge Replacement; Sherwood, Oregon
The American Public Works Association awarded the Cedar Creek project with the Project of the Year Award in the “Environment less than $5 million” category. The Cedar Creek project results include the design of a single-span, precast prestressed girder bridge; stream and wetland restoration; a regional multi-use trail; and improved roadway safety and functions.

OHSU Center for Health and Healing; Portland, Oregon
The OHSU Center won The Outstanding Building of the Year Award from the Building Owners and Managers Association International. Otak’s responsibilities for the OHSU Center included onsite and offsite civil engineering for the 2-block building, specifically assisting with the permitting through DEQ for the installation and outfall from the wastewater bioreactor system. The 16-story medical building obtained LEED Platinum status.

Last month professionals gathered in Portland, Oregon for the 2010 DOI Conference on the Environment. Several Otak staff members were there to meet other professionals and exchange information on a wide variety of environmental and natural resource topics and issues, such as climate change and greenhouse gases; sustainable practices at DOI facilities; and resource conservation and management.

Kate Schwarzler, landscape architect in Otak’s Carbondale office, presented a poster paper targeted at DOI staff involved in energy and land management activities. The poster described the principles and concepts of the BLM Visual Resource Management program; its importance to land use and activity planning and user sensitivity; and current pressures facing scenic values on public lands.

Kate’s poster for the DOI Conference

Otak’s landscape architects assisted the Bend-La Pine School District with the design and construction of the cutting-edge Miller Elementary School in Bend, Oregon. Otak prepared planting and irrigation plans that helped earn the school’s LEED Gold rating. Otak researched and wrote specifications for recycling waste sheet rock from school construction for use as soil amendment. Other sustainable features included using native, drought-tolerant plant material, and an irrigation system designed in sections that could be decommissioned over time as plants become established. Otak also worked closely with a site restoration specialist to develop plans for restoring nearly a third of the 14.6-acre project site to its native, pre-orchard condition.

“The Bend-La Pine School District has done a terrific job in showing leadership in the community by focusing on sustainable construction practices,” said David Haynes, landscape architect at Otak. “They are a forward-thinking and committed group of people that have been great to work with.”

GreenSource online recently posted a video of the award-winning Tempe Transportation Center. Otak served as prime consultant and lead architect on this project, and collaborated with Tempe firm, Architekton.

The new Tempe Transportation Center serves Valley METRO bus and light-rail riders, pedestrians, and bike commuters. This video is narrated by The City of Tempe’s Bonnie Richardson, AIA, and it includes an informative tour of the facility’s interior spaces, public plaza, art installations, and passenger stations. The project is seeking LEED Platinum certification, and has earned nine awards to date — an Otak record!

To watch the video, please click here.

The Tempe Transportation Center is the centerpiece of the City of Tempe’s award-winning transportation program. The 40,300-square-foot, three-story transit center houses Tempe’s Transportation Offices, Traffic Management Center, Community Room and Transit Store, as well as Arizona’s first bicycle commuter facility, the Bicycle Cellar. Ground floor retail and food service provide amenities for bus and rail patrons, Arizona State University students, and visitors. The Center is a strategic hub for rail, bus, and bike transportation, serving the new 20-mile METRO light rail system. The project is designed to use 52% less energy and is seeking LEED Platinum certification.

Otak served as the prime consultant and lead architect on this project and collaborated with local Tempe firm, Architekton. To date, the Tempe Transportation Center has won nine awards, which include:

American Institute of Architects - Arizona, Kemper Goodwin Collaboration Award

American Institute of Architects - Arizona, SRP Sustainability Award

American Institute of Architects - Oregon, Design Award

Arizona Masonry Guild, Honor Award

Metal Architecture, Design Award

RED Awards, Arizona Real Estate Development Awards, Best Sustainable Project

Valley Forward Association, Crescordia Award, Buildings and Structures, Industrial & Public Works

Valley Forward Association, Crescordia Award, Site Devel. & Landscape, Industrial & Public Works

Tempe Mayor’s Disability Awards, Architecture Accessibility Award

During the month of May, Otak held the Green Commute Challenge which encouraged people to find alternative, earth-friendly ways of getting to work. A number of Otak employees accepted this challenge – helping us walk the walk, save gas, and reduce carbon emissions.

Top Green Commuters received gift cards: Darrin Stairs was the top bus commuter, Ron Dean the top bike rider, Sarah Espinosa the top carpooler, and Steve Dixon the top walker. Each of them found a way to “Green Commute” every single day of the Challenge.

This spring, Seattle Otakians had much to purge before the consolidation with the Kirkland office. ‘Reuse’ comes before ‘Recycle’. Vendor binders and extraneous office supplies were donated to Goodwill, and old vendor samples (carpet, tile, paint chips, glass, etc) were picked up by Second Use, a local salvage construction company in South Seattle (www.SecondUse.com). Other materials were donated to ArtCorps (http://www.artscorps.org/enlist/donate.html), a nonprofit arts educator non-profit working with schools and neighborhoods.   

Some old plotter prints were used for gift wrapping. 

Moving boxes were returned to the moving company.

We sent Second Use away with a truckload of old vendor samples.

Ozone was a monthly email newsletter that provided insights into how Otak works with clients to help any project achieve a measure of sustainability. Each issue included brief project reviews, resources, suggested reading and notices, articles written by various Otak staff, as well as other pertinent sustainability information. We are very proud of this online newsletter and were recognized this August in Denver at the National Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) conference. At the 31st annual awards gala, Otak was given a 2008 National Marketing Communications Award in the category of Newsletter External. Not only were we given this prestigious award, but we came in First Place! These awards are given out to honor excellence in marketing communications for professional service firms around the country.

Click here to read the April edition of Ozone

Sustainability is a state of mind in Otak’s Carbondale, Colorado office. Four out of five staffers bike or walk to work whenever possible and staff recycle everything they can. They are always looking for ways to reduce the volume of what they use so they replaced paper plates with dishes purchased at a local second-hand store, and traded plastic cutlery for silverware. Instead of paper towels in the restroom, they each have a terry towel in the color of their choice. They convert scrap paper into notepads, and use compact fluorescent bulbs in overhead lighting. And instead of air conditioning, they let the mountain air cool the office every morning.

King County’s Solid Waste Division has named 50 local companies to its “Best Workplaces for Recycling” list. Otak’s Kirkland, Washington office is one of the firms who made the list and is being recognized for its internal recycling program and commitment to making recycling easy for employees. Kirkland’s more than 85 staff practice recycling and waste reduction methods from recycling old electronic equipment to eating lunch with reusable dishware and glasses instead of disposable products. Recycling bins are located at each employee workstation and next to all printers and copiers throughout the office.