How Engineering Impacts More Than the Built Environment

The science of engineering is the backbone of the environment we construct around us, and many people perceive engineering in its most common ways. For example, both civil and structural applications are when engineers are most in the spotlight and is arguably the first thing people think about when considering what “engineering” means. These practice areas are often the most visible because they are physical and affect our daily lives as both participators in the built environment and also as members of society.

“I love being able to see a project come to life. It is quite a spectacular feeling to know I have helped bring someone’s idea into reality.”

Hailey Sibert – Otak Civil Designer

However, engineering can be much more varied than meets the eye, and the practice area is defined by the broader applications that a multidisciplinary approach can have on not only the built environment, but also on the communities that call that environment home.

In this post, we’ll explore the ways in which engineering affects multiple facets of society, and show just how important the intersectional practice is to fully functioning communities.

View of transportation design

Getting People Around, In Multiple Ways

Transportation engineering immediately comes to mind when thinking about the lesser thought applications of the profession. Options for transportation in the built environment don’t just spring up out of nowhere, and the impact that high functioning transportation infrastructure on communities is hard to overstate.

Quality transportation engineering improves how community members get from place to place and serves as a great socioeconomic equalizer. By increasing access to jobs, opportunities, and services through breaking down transportation barriers, engineering directly uplifts disadvantaged groups within municipalities by ensuring everyone gets an equal shot at getting there.

Multi-modal transportation also plays a role here. Communities don’t solely consist of cars, trains, and busses. Designing pedestrian-friendly areas allow neighborhoods to flourish and encourages healthier, more walkable lifestyles among citizens. Greater still, access between point A to point B is improved for those who do opt for public transport, which decreases reliance on cars. This means everything from sustainability perspective, and it’s all made possible through quality engineering that’s designed to move people, not just vehicles.

Using The Natural Flow of Things

The environmental intersections of engineering with purpose are also huge components of quality design. When we envision communities, we design with natural surroundings and not despite them. By doing this, we place an emphasis on low impact development (LID) which gives way to developing green stormwater infrastructure.

The best part about being a civil engineer is building connections. We building infrastructures and improve transportation networks that connect people and communities.

Eva Ho – Otak Civil Engineer

Without a multidisciplinary approach to this type of engineering, the greener aspects of project work may go unnoticed, or natural systems in place may be harmed or interrupted. Instead, engineers can design around habitats by understanding water flow and hydraulics of the site. In this way , water and natural resources engineers play a critical role in making communities not only sustainable for humans, but also more habitable for other forms of wildlife that may exist alongside something out of the built environment.

Helping the Rain Go Away

Quality water resources engineering also helps us answer unique questions about planning and design, including ones in relation to stormwater and surface water management. One might ask themselves, “When the rain falls, where does it go?”

The answer? It’s been engineered to flow through the community in helpful ways. For one, understanding water detention and retention prevents flooding for neighborhoods already in place. Second, it ensures quality of water for communities and natural habitats impacted by the local watershed and stormwater runoff — engineering for the community of life, not just for people.

“My [engineering] work has given me the opportunity to wear many different (hard) hats. I’ve designed cable stay bridges, a variety of buildings, sculptures… every day is an adventure!”

Greg Mines – Otak Structures Engineer

This ultimately helps prevent more vulnerable communities and areas from experiencing the effects of increased or harmful precipitation by injecting climate resiliency into the existing system, something a traditionally structural engineer might not consider. When multifaceted engineers are tasked with a project, they come up with a multi-pronged way of looking at a project that does more than just house, shelter, or get people to work on time.

Finding the Perfect Place for a Project

Engineering helps us answer even more pertinent questions about the built environment and our relationship with it, even before construction begins. So, just what happens on a site before we start building on it? Choosing the right spot to begin work involves a lot more than one would think.

Scrupulous engineering considers all the possibilities in order to find the right place for a project based on a goals and initial design, giving way to the practice of site development. Coming up with creative, practical, buildable, and permittable solutions is the work of engineers as well, and good ones are context sensitive (to cultural and natural resources that exist around a site) before building starts. Design efficiency has everything to do with pre-construction, from choice of materials to making sure things go smoothly from both a budget and site complications perspective. Engineering opens doors to deeper understanding of a project, not just the calculus to get it done, to ensure timely project delivery.

Enjoying Outdoor Spaces

As much impact as good engineering can have, sometimes the work is about leaving that impact with a minimal footprint. This can not only benefit clients, but members of the community that the project might impact. So much of engineering is about enhancing our open spaces and natural landscapes with low-profile infrastructure that allows for greater access and enjoyment from the populace, which can be as simple as a well-placed jungle gym or as complex as designing administrative facilities for parks and natural attractions.

Bike paths, multi-use paths, all of these are often not thought of as a crucial bit of engineering, however they double down on active transportation of the area while continuing to encourage a healthy lifestyle.

Trails and trailheads play a similar role — allowing people to access and connect with nature while preserving the spaces in which they exist and generating interest in the natural environment while in an effort to preserve it.

The thing I like most about working at Otak is the awesome, interdisciplinary team that I get to work with.

Chris Romeyn – Otak Sr. Water Resources Engineeer

And again, even before construction or the start of a project, feasibility studies in these environments also fall into the wheelhouse of engineering, ensuring the safety, sustainability, and resiliency of the site so people can enjoy it, catching problems in advance that might hinder project completion.

Multiple Engineering Disciplines, One Team

The work of engineers at Otak is multi-faceted and interdisciplinary, and we’re proud that our work goes toward the betterment of the communities we serve. The voices, experience and expertise of the engineering teams within our ranks reflects what their work means to them. Take a closer look at the depth and breadth of project work from one of our most esteemed and recognizable practice areas.

Meet the Team: Otak’s Denver Architecture Studio

Otak’s architectural practice extends well beyond the borders of the Pacific Northwest. We also have roots in the Rocky Mountains, and as we continue to build a robust team of architects in our studio, we’re happy to announce that our investment in the Denver Metro area has never been stronger.

Our Louisville office has been in Colorado for years, and with the opening of our Denver studio we remain excited about playing an active role in what make’s Denver’s built environment so interesting. From Coors Field to Larimer Square to Union Station, the history of Denver’s architecture is storied and worthy of praise across the country. Now, Otak lives where that story is most prominent — Downtown Denver.

Our ‘One Otak’ approach plays a critical role here, and the values of our whole company align with the impact we’re making in Denver. When you work with us, you work with multidisciplinary professionals who are able to look at a project and see not only the macro elements, but also the micro details of how it will affect communities and people that live in whatever space we occupy.

All of this is why Otak thinks it best to introduce the world to our Denver studio, and talk more about our appreciation for both them and our ability to serve the area.

In this piece, Otak invites you to meet our stellar Denver Architecture team, and learn more about where that team is involved, the type of work we do, and how we prioritize that work.

Otak’s History in Colorado

Though our architecture presence in Denver is new in comparison, Otak has been serving the Rocky Mountain West throughout nearly our whole history out of multiple locations in the state. Just some of our milestone projects in the region include: It’s a history that includes a variety of services and a number of milestone projects in the region that include a few recent highlights:

Aerial view of the "Linking Lookout" Interchange

“Linking Lookout” Interchange (2017)

Designed to serve as an urban park as well as a major multi-modal transportation conduit, the US6 and 19th Street interchange improved connectivity between residential areas and the Colorado School of Mines campus, while also improving the vehicular level of service. The concept would also lead to work on the “Heritage Lid” Interchange design project.

Reimagining the Colfax and Federal Cloverleaf (2018)

The 29-acre cloverleaf intersection of Colfax Avenue and Federal Boulevard represented one of the most dangerous intersections for pedestrians and bicyclists in Denver. Otak led the design of transportation infrastructure modifications with numerous stakeholders and hosted public participation meetings in reimagining the area.

Led process to reimagine a dangerous intersection in Denver
Construction work being done at Godfrey Ditch

Godfrey Ditch Diversion Structure Reconstruction (2020)

In partnership with Naranjo Civil Constructors, this complete design-build project replaces the Godfrey Ditch Diversion structure located on the Middle South Platte River in Weld County, Colorado. The multiple-benefit diversion project reduced sediment transport disruptions, improved maintenance requirements, limited damage potential from future floods, enhanced aquatic and riparian habitats, and enable fish and safe recreational boating passage—all while delivering the full decree of water.

Why Denver?

Our presence in Denver serves distinct strategic purposes. For one, it opens up our practice to projects in urbanized areas — places where Otak services are needed. From affordable housing and mission critical facilities to mixed use and multifamily high rises, Otak has experience with addressing and exceeding the needs of both our clients and the community.

Second, being in Denver expands our footprint in the region for growing involvement with the community. From this location, we continue to build on our core commitments of equity and sustainability with both the projects we take on in the area and as part of our broader business operations.

On the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains, Denver is uniquely positioned to provide a perfect addition for our continued work with preserving our natural landscapes. From projects with the National Park Service to studies involving our visitor use management and water and natural resources teams, the deep connection between Denver and the value of outdoor spaces will enhance our own emphasis in that area.

Meet the Denver Architecture Team

Headshot for Kurt Basford

Kurt Basford – Denver Studio Lead

“For me, architecture has always been a passion. As a young artist, I connected with the profession as a physical extension of my creativity. Designing spaces that inspire and shape our cultural dynamics bring me joy in every project. Being raised around construction sites and building a background in finance, I have been able to bring these experiences to the built environment to create meaningful spaces, balance the art + science of architecture, and deliver innovative solutions for our clients. Architecture has allowed me to travel the world working with incredible clients and afforded me the experience of every building type. It truly is a joy to be an architect and I enjoy my work with colleagues every day. I can honestly say I love my job as every day is a new adventure.”

Kelly Buchanan – Architect

“Architecture is about people and placemaking. I believe in the power of placemaking and crafting spaces to be inclusive, sustainable, and relevant. Having studied in Las Vegas, Portland, OR, and a brief time in Italy, I have seen how architecture adapts to the context and culture of a place. I grew up along the front range and moved to Denver to once again be closer to family. I’ve always appreciated the unique style of Mountain West architecture and the influence of both the mountains and prairies. The natural landscape is deeply embedded in the culture of Colorado communities and offers an exciting backdrop for practicing architecture and place-based problem solving.”

Headshot of Kelly Buchanan
Zaq Dahallow EcoDistricts AP LEED Green Associate Designer

Zaq Dohallow – Designer

“I chose a career in architecture in order to better serve my passion for integrating nature into the built environment. Architecture is one of many options for addressing the challenges related to a rapidly changing climate, however, architecture and design also provide an outlet for creativity and inventive thought. Designing buildings and spaces in Colorado is a welcome challenge. Due to our extreme weather and drastically different seasonal considerations Colorado buildings are a great way to expand our understanding of flexible and adaptive design. Energy saving strategies and passive measures are tested in our hot and cold, wet and dry seasons and provide a template for strategies which can be applied to various parts of the world with more stable weather patterns.”

Levi Wall – Architect

“Like many architects, I found architecture first through Legos, but also from gleaning art and woodworking skills from my mom, which got me hooked on shaping the physical world. Colorado is a great place to practice architecture for many of the same reasons it’s an great place to live: the natural beauty, the vibrant growing cities, and a dynamic business environment all provide the context for beautiful architecture. Population growth and climate change also bring challenges to our way of life, which are exciting challenges to address in designing the built environment.”

Headshot of Levi Wall
Headshot of Tom Hoover.

Tom Hoover – Architect

“I became interested in Architecture at a very young age, 8 years old to be exact.  My family moved to Colorado after time in Europe and my parents procured a piece of land on a hilltop with fabulous views to the west.  My parents collected several Herman Miller & Eames furniture pieces long before I knew what good design translated to.  My parents engaged the services of an architect whom designed a mid-century modern home nestled into that hillside.  Growing up in that house, in a mountain setting, with choreographed interior elements that supplemented the feel of the space gave me an appreciation for how it came together through the architect.  I grew up with desire to create fabulous spaces & experiences in Colorado doing just what that architect did.”

Karen Smith – Interior Designer

“I feel privileged to live in such a beautiful place and have witnessed a coming of age with local and national architectural groups.  I had the opportunity to work for some local icons that were Colorado natives, and now of course everyone wants to be here!  Throughout my career I have learned that working in tandem with architects yields the greatest results for the overall vision of the project.  Blending the two disciplines seamlessly is one area where I have great expertise and an ongoing passion. Above all, design is a way of thinking, of looking at the world around us, and appreciating the fine details.  There’s no better place to do this than here!”

Headshot of Karen Smith.

Interested in joining the Denver architecture team, take a look at openings here!

What Does the Denver Architecture Team Do?

As a multidisciplinary firm, it follows that our people have multifaceted experience and a holistic view of all kinds of projects. Our team’s industry knowledge is extensive — our main areas of expertise are as follows:

Primary

Secondary

Tertiary

  • Architecture
  • Interior Design
  • Specification Proficiency
  • Master Planning
  • Visitor Use Management Integration
  • Program Planning
  • Fixtures, Furnishings, and Equipment (FFE)
  • Historic Preservation Data Driven Design (Parametric/Algorithmic)3D/Meta Design
  • Contract Administration/Forensic Services
  • Human Factors Engineering (HFE)
  • Post Occupancy Analysis (with VUM)
  • Smart Cities Pre-Design Consultant Services Signage/Branding
  • Code Consulting

What Motivates the Studio?

The values that bind the Denver studio are distinct while still falling under our ‘One Otak’ umbrella, and much of our work in the PNW translates directly into the work we do in Colorado. From affordable housing, higher education, civic, and institutional to specializations including corporate offices, data facilities, and mission critical infrastructure, Denver injects expertise and community involvement at every step of project delivery.

In line with our Green Otak (GO) and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, Denver also undertakes projects where environmental resilience meets serving underrepresented communitiesTo serve these projects, the team is involved with organizations like Housing Colorado and the Urban Land Institute.

In summary the Denver studio is strategically placed and positioned to serve clients in the Denver Metro area with a unique perspective, one that’s distinctly Otak.

A Piece of the Otak Architecture Puzzle

Otak’s Denver studio exists to impact a variety of new bottom lines when it comes to serving clients, which expands our reach and relationships even further into the state of Colorado. It’s a crucial new piece of Otak that aligns with our greater architecture practice and strategy.

With our new Denver office opening this past year, learn more about our whole architecture business unit. Otak is proud to take this step in our continuing commitment to resilient, practical, and beautiful design.

Sustainability In Action: See How One Bridge Engineer Puts a New Spin on Biking to Work

Sustainability is now a top priority for firms across the globe. According to a recent Mckinsey poll, a larger share of executives now say that sustainability programs make a positive contribution to their companies’ value both in the short and long term. 

Greater still, over a third of global consumers are now willing to pay more for sustainability-integrated services and products. Now more than ever, individuals are both looking for more environmentally sensitive alternatives and looking to firms to champion resilient initiatives. 

“When you’re going and inspecting pedestrian bridges, being a pedestrian just feels right.”

David Graff – Otak Bridge Engineer

Given the information, the time has never been better for people and firms to truly live their sustainable values—not only to internal stakeholders but also to external partners and communities.  

Otak is excited to highlight a Bridge Project Engineer in Colorado who is truly living those values especially on the jobsite. 

We would like to introduce you to David Graff, who biked 22.7 miles over three days through the City of Aurora for a single project—both to reduce his carbon footprint and get a leg up on his competitors in the art of pedestrian bridge inspection. 

A Sustainable Approach to Pedestrian Bridge Inspection

Who is David? 

David Graff, P.E. is a leading voice in our firm for bridge engineering in the Rocky Mountain West. Serving as project manager for bridge inspections and replacements throughout the region, his career is one of excellence at the highest standard. As a member of our structural engineering practice, David is also a certified bridge inspector for the National Highway Institute (NHI).  

He also happens to be one of Otak’s best cyclists, and calls the back roads and pedestrian areas of Colorado his backyard. A bike commuter and environmentalist through and through, David had long awaited a chance to merge his love of cycling and the love of his work—what he calls “Two of my favorite things.” It took one RFP dropping from the City of Aurora to give David that chance. 

What’s the Project? 

The City of Aurora PROS 2022 Bridge Inspections project is one uniquely fit for David and his talents. In addition to being a certified NHI bridge inspector, David has also been running inspections on pedestrian bridges for years in other cities like Vail and Aspen—a niche market in the Colorado region. He specializes in full scale inspection, or the art of inspecting every bridge within a given municipality for deficiencies, structural soundness, and overall ability to serve the community where the bridge lies. 

The problem in Aurora? A notable pedestrian bridge suffering from erosion and a washed away backfill underneath the approach lapse. David and his team were able to win an initial contract for the bridge in question, and later sold the city on inspections and service for every pedestrian bridge in Aurora.  

Thanks to perseverance and long-standing relationships in Colorado, David was tapped to lead this charge behind this renewed effort to fortify and inspect pedestrian bridges across the community.  

Map showing David Graff's bike path for bridge inspection
Mapping David’s Bridge Inspection Bike Path

Why Bike to Each Site? 

In David’s own words, “When you’re going and inspecting pedestrian bridges, being a pedestrian just feels right.” To truly experience the bridges in their full capacity, David felt that he needed to “be a pedestrian” to do his best work. Besides making the work more enjoyable, he also found that riding his bike would be more efficient from both a time and sustainability standpoint. 

Parking is limited in many of these spaces where pedestrian bridges exist, like the ones on the Highline Canal Trail and Sand Creek Park. Armed with just a bike, David was able to saddle right up to each bridge and perform a full inspection as an active user. Saving time walking between a car and the site, while also saving emissions by biking seemed immediately like a no brainer. 

What Did David Find? 

There are three categories of deficiencies that every bridge inspector looks out for on a trip to a site: 

  • Maintenance – Basic upkeep. Things like trimming trees that are growing underneath bridge, clean debris.
  • Preventative – Things that aren’t problems yet, but if not addressed could become a problem. 
  • Repair – Deficiencies that could threaten structural integrity or safety of bridge. Should be address before next inspection or immediately. 

While he’s only a third of the way through the full-scale inspection cycle, those he’s visited look to be in good shape out of the 26 he’s biked to this year. 

More Than Just Bridge Inspectors 

Of course, pedestrian bridges differ from vehicular bridges.  

Vehicular bridges tend to be bigger and have traffic moving faster making deficiencies more difficult to notice in passing and potentially more hazardous. And when it comes to pedestrian bridges, there also isn’t a governing body that ensures certain standards are met, which can lead to the maintenance of pedestrian bridges being more likely to fall by the wayside. Still, in either case, it’s ultimately the same expertise and principles come into play for inspection. 

David stresses here that himself and his team are not just bridge inspectors—they’re bridge engineers, meaning that they’re capable of giving reasons why deficiencies arise and structural fixes for problems, which ultimately saves money for clients as issues are caught early on.  

Interested in learning more about a transportation approach that’s about more than just mobility? Take a closer look at our work that’s designed to create greater access in communities to healthy lifestyles and resilient economies. 

DBIA Awards 2022: The Portland Building is Recognized for Historic Reconstruction

When it comes to project delivery, few methods are as cutting-edge as the design-build delivery, but what does it mean, and how do we differentiate it from a traditional delivery?

What is the Design-Build Delivery Method?

According to the Design Build Institute of America (DBIA), the design-build process is different from a traditional project delivery for a few reasons:

  • Rather than managing multiple contracts, the Owner manages only one contract with a single point of responsibility.
  • The single point of reference allows the designer and contractor work together from the beginning as a “Design Build Entity,” providing unified project recommendations to fit the Owner’s schedule and budget.
  • Any changes are addressed by the entire team rather than in siloes of the project, leading to collaborative problem-solving and innovation.

It all comes down to single-source contracting, but what’s important here is the culture of collaboration inherent in design-build. Teams truly work as a team without an adversarial relationship between subdivisions, and that means everything for successful, innovative delivery.

The Portland Building team at the DBIA Award 2022 acceptance
The Portland Building team at the DBIA Awards 2022

The DBIA has a storied history of sharing the wonders of design-build with the greater industry. Formed in 1993, it started as a handful of engineers, architects, and builders who sought to make project delivery both easier and scalable. The organization is now the authority on the design-build process, comprised of not just professionals but academics, students, and leaders from all over the country.

What’s more, they host one of the biggest industry events in the country commemorating use of the method every year.

What is the Design-Build Conference & Expo?

The Design-Build Conference & Expo happens in various locations and hosts a slew of industry professionals who come to network and learn from one another.

Projects from all over the U.S. are nominated for their historic delivery methods, and experts from across the AEC industry judge and award firms based on a variety of criteria provided by the DBIA.

“The Portland Building is by far, one of the defining projects of my career and one of the best teams I’ve worked with in my life.”

Miro Radoynovski – Portland Building Project Manager

Otak attended the annual event in Las Vegas in  November 2022, where we were up for multiple awards for our owner’s representative work on The Portland Building in our home city of Portland, OR.

What Did the Portland Building Win?

At the 2022 Design-Build Conference & Expo, the Portland Building was nominated for three DBIA awards in the category of rehabilitation, renovation and restoration. The project ultimately swept all three.

  • Best in Process – Rehabilitation / Renovation / Restoration
  • National Award of Excellence – Rehabilitation / Renovation / Restoration
  • National Award of Merit – Rehabilitation / Renovation / Restoration

The awards reinforced the success felt across the project team, including the city of Portland. For the DBIA, success is defined in a variety of ways and the details of the Portland Building were clearly aligned with those criteria.

Delivering an Award-Winning Project: What the DBIA Looks For

Winning projects are all evaluated on the same criteria, based on DBIA’s Design Build Done Right framework.

Projects are considered if they achieve the best value while meeting design and construction quality, cost and schedule goals. They must also demonstrate advanced and innovative application of total integrated project delivery, including design-build best practices to achieve exceptional outcomes.

Credit: DLR Group

But what is the Design Build Done Right framework?

The overview of it is that it’s a universally applicable set of best practices and principles that can aid in the delivery of any design-build project. The DBIA provides a set of guidelines, and more importantly real-world techniques, that facilitate successful projects from procuring services to execution, exemplified by the following aspects of delivery:

  • Schedule and cost performance
  • Effective processes
  • Interdisciplinary teamwork
  • Problem solving
  • Excellence in design
  • Use of technology
  • Diversity, equity, and inclusion

Based on these elements of successful design-build, Otak is proud to say we won multiple awards the evening of the conference, which we’ll get into next.

Building a Winning Case in The Portland Building

The Portland Building project is a 15-story high-rise occupied by City of Portland bureaus. As an internationally renowned architectural example of post-Modernism designed by Michael Graves, the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and houses a number of government departments all working in tandem to make Portland run smoothly.

Exterior view of the Portland Building
Exterior view of the Portland Building
(Photo Credit: James Ewing, JBSA)

The project addressed the building envelope issues by covering the concrete façade with a unitized curtain wall and terracotta rain screen tiles that eliminated leaking while preserving its historic status and appearance. The restored façade also greatly improved the poor natural lighting which, combined with a full interior remodel, drastically transformed the building’s working environment. Otak also organized the temporary relocation of all the city’s 1,400+ staff to ensure that the city maintained normal operations throughout the project.

However, what’s really interesting (and unique) about the project is its cutting-edge delivery method, one that takes DBIA guidelines and brings them to the next level—progressive design-build.

Progressive Design-Build Delivery of the City of Portland’s Vision

The City of Portland initiated a $195 million project to reconstruct the building, making it the city’s largest capital project.

Such an innovative method of delivery was needed to address several of the City’s objectives with construction:

  • Fix the enclosure performance problems—no more leaks and better daylighting
  • Preserve the historic integrity of the exterior—get through landmark approval process
  • Upgrade the seismic performance of the building to an appropriate standard
  • Replace building mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) systems
  • Remedy urban design deficiencies at the base
  • Improve the workplace and public engagement areas
  • Meet requirements for LEED Gold

What Does Progressive Design-Build Mean?

Essentially, a progressive design-build delivery method is  a form of early contractor involvement that can help reduce risk and increase collaboration among all stakeholders. It’s the way a construction project design is developed by the owner and design-builders using a step-by-step process.

The DBIA again states that progressive design-build allows the design and construction team to collaborate during the earliest stages of project development. This enables the greatest amount of engagement between the three key players in a construction contract: the owner, the designer, and the contractor. Ultimately, Otak advocated that this unique method was best for meeting the needs of the project in terms of complexity and scheduling needs.

Best Value for Dollar Spent: Collaborative Team Environment, Optimal Efficiency

The Progressive Design-Build model allowed for the right voices to be in the room to make the best decisions at the right time. From the outset, Otak successfully met the greatest challenge of the method—getting all team members to buy in to a lean design process and trust it would deliver an innovative project. The team also utilized the “SmartStart” partnering process, where we discussed and committed to an equitable allocation of risk and project progress which was key to establishing a collaborative environment.

Schedule, scope, and design intent were optimized, as the entire team was at the table making informed decisions each step of the way.

Planning sessions and project milestone dates were incorporated into scheduling from the very beginning to inspire active participation between stakeholders for effective schedule management.

Technology Utilization

Quality assurance and control was also highly collaborative, and we deployed high-tech tools like VR, Clash Detection, and Laser Scanning for building information modeling (BIM) work to improve access to facilities and streamline operations of the building post-construction.

A huge part of this effort was not only relocating all city employees into temporary office spaces, but also bringing them back when construction was completed, and the building envelope was brought up to code. Thanks to the progressive design-build method these goals were accomplished through early planning and team effort to get the job done.

Design Solutions to Historic Reconstruction Challenges

With every project comes challenges. This can be particularly true for buildings of historic relevance, for which the Portland Building is a perfect example.

The City’s vision was such that the building needed to be drastically updated while maintaining it’s iconic design elements, while enhancing the working environment. The existing concrete exterior, external glazing, the famous Portlandia sculpture, and getting the space approved as a city landmark were all hurdles that made progressive design-build the choice of the greater team.

View of Portlandia statue at the Portland Building
View of “Portlandia,” the copper sculpture at the Portland Building
(Photo Credit: James Ewing, JBSA)

Considerations were also made to maintain the internationally recognized post-Modern architecture style, and the stakes were high. The building has historic significance of “exceptional importance” on the National Register of Historic Places, which means extra care had to be taken in order to both preserve and renovate the space. The building also needed to be upgraded from a sustainability perspective, a viewpoint that has become an Otak calling card.

Sustainable and Efficient Systems

In terms of being sustainable, the Portland Building was truly brought into the modern era. The project made improvements to light fixtures allowing for greater daylighting, reducing energy costs and carbon footprints in the process.

The envelope of the building also needed to be revitalized in order to fix leaking issues in a famously rainy city. Low emitting materials were also used to compensate for the existing concrete of the structure, which we did by improving existing mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, among others.

The project also pursued a LEED Gold Building certification, and the team’s efforts led to the project exceeding it’s goals in achieving both WELL and LEED Platinum certification.

Public Involvement and Inclusive Project Goals

Not only did the project need to be sustainable, but it also needed to be equitable to address the needs of the city and align with its values. The vision was to both inspire and influence the public, leading to a two-fold goal— serving the public well and becoming an employer of choice to bolster talent acquisition into the space. To align with those goals, our team led visioning sessions on both the public and employee experience, ultimately transforming the building’s poorly lit, substandard interior into a truly exceptional interior experience for all.

Social and community impacts were also top of mind. A targeted community outreach effort was implemented to ensure DMWESB firms were aware of upcoming opportunities. This effort included informational meetings, open houses, trade show events, one-on-one meetings, and sourcing a local non-profit to provide consultation to DMWESB firms bidding on the project. Additionally, the project promoted design and construction career opportunities by hosting eight separate tours for high school and college students. Otak is proud to say that in the process we exceeded MWDBE goals.

The End Result

By utilizing a progressive design-build framework, inspiring both the team and the community, and delivering on early promises thanks to early planning, the result of our efforts yielded a multi-award-winning project.

Otak would like to extend a formal thank you to the DBIA for bestowing us with these accolades, which we take to heart. We’re proud we had the opportunity to play an outsized role in the successful delivery of the project, and our mission to transform the built environment while keeping the community in mind remains one of our cornerstones.

You can find out more about the complete list of DBIA award winners, and we look forward to the opportunity of highlighting our projects in the future

Visitor Use Management: Guidelines for an Effective Framework

With great success generating interest in natural landscapes have come great challenges in preserving them.

An iconic steward of American history and culture, the National Park Service (NPS) is an organization with deep roots in maintaining our nation’s natural spaces and historical and cultural heritage. We have, among others, the efforts of Stephen T. Mather – the first Director of NPS in 1916 – to thank for building public and political support for national parks. His vision is one of trailblazing and appreciation for sublime natural landscapes. In fact, upon his death, a gold plaque was placed in every national park in the U.S., inscribed with “There will never come an end to the good he has done.” The practice of visitor use management (VUM) now carries on that tradition of doing good with our natural landscapes and historic places.

The Rise of Visitor Use

In the early years of the National Park Service, the challenge for Mather and others was to attract visitors to the national parks to build a constituency and the support needed to sustain them. Early campaigns to promote the national parks included development of grand hotels in crown jewel parks, like the Ahwahnee in Yosemite National Park and Paradise Inn in Mount Rainier National Park. Travel to the national parks by railroad was promoted as a thrilling adventure to explore the west. In the 1950’s, an effort referred to as “Mission 66” focused on building facilities and services to promote visitor use and recreation.

These efforts, coupled with the development of the interstate system, growing environmental awareness in the 1960’s and 1970’s, and increasing leisure time and wealth among Americans resulted in extraordinary growth in visitation to the National Park System. As the NPS celebrated its centennial in 2016, there were more than 300 million recreation visits to the National Park System that year.

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Arches National Park – Visitor Use Study

Credit: National Park Service, South East Utah Group and Steve Bumgardner


Visitor Use Today: Success Fueling Challenges

In recent years, the trend of rising visitation to national parks has reached unprecedented levels, with several parks recording historic levels of monthly and annual visitation. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the outdoors representing a space for safe recreation, was a key factor in driving current trends and levels of visitation.

The rise in popularity of national parks is, without question, a story of great success. The millions of visitors to the National Park System have opportunities for profound experiences that can positively impact them for a lifetime. Yet, increasing amounts and types of visitor use in our national parks can present challenges too. For example, during busy periods in some parks, lines of traffic may form at park entrances, visitors may have difficulty finding parking, and crowding may occur in visitor centers, on trails, and at attractions.

We work with our clients to help them address these opportunities and challenges through the practice of visitor use management. In Mathers’ spirit, we seek to understand how people interact with a park’s significant resources in a meaningful way to develop a deeper appreciation of and sense of stewardship for America’s natural, historical, and cultural heritage.

In this piece, we take a deep dive into the practice of visitor use management and explain how it provides a framework for our work with our clients.

What Does Visitor Use Management Mean?

Visitor use management is the proactive and adaptive practice of identifying strategies and actions to accommodate visitor use while protecting park resources as well as the quality and character of visitor experiences.

Not only is visitor use management relevant to our work, it’s also relevant to anyone who may visit a national park or related protected area. It’s the art of articulating desired conditions for park resources and visitors’ experiences and evaluating on-the-ground practices to learn and adapt over time.

A Dual-Mission Land Use Mandate

Visitor use management is a balancing act. Professionals in this sphere need to be mindful of their goals — providing opportunities for people to enjoy these sites and understanding how that affects park resources, park operations, and the experiences of other visitors. Effective visitor use management incorporates environmental ethics and education, ultimately encouraging visitors to become stewards of national parks and everything they represent.

All things considered, the goal is ultimately to strike a proper balance between the opportunities and challenges presented by national parks. The visitor use management framework is designed to provide a systematic basis for helping address these challenges.

Graphic showing process of visitor use management framework implementation

Why Use A Visitor Use Management Framework?

Developed by the Interagency Visitor Use Management Council (IVUMC), the IVUMC Framework provides a systematic, transparent, and legally defensible method for putting visitor use management principles into practice.

The framework has deep historical roots in how visitor use of national parks, national forests and similar public land recreation areas have been monitored and adaptively managed. The framework represents the latest iteration of a long-standing commitment to indicator-based, adaptive visitor use management.

Elements of a Visitor Use Management Framework

Together, the elements of the visitor use management framework are grounded in thinking about and developing statements of desired conditions while establishing indicators that can be monitored in the process of meeting those conditions.

The visitor use management framework provides a guide for navigating the process of defining those elements and there are some key concepts incorporated into the framework:

Establishing Desired Conditions

Desired conditions represent an important part of the foundation for addressing visitor use management in parks. Desired conditions are narrative statements that describe the ideal quality, character, and conditions of park resources to be protected while considering visitor experiences that enhance public use and enjoyment.

It is the responsibility and privilege of the National Park Service to specify desired conditions for national park resources and visitor experiences.

Identifying Indicators

Indicators are measurable proxies for desired conditions that can be monitored to track changes in park resources and visitors’ experiences associated with recreation use. For example, the number of encounters with other groups per hour while hiking is an indicator related to the quality and character of visitors’ experiences.

Good indicators are those that can be easily and reliably measured, are related to and representative of desired conditions, and are responsive to visitor use management actions. In cases where managing use according to numeric user capacities is needed, indicators must also be directly related to the amounts and types of recreation use.

Types of Indicators

Social indicators, such as hiking encounters, the number of people at one time at boat ramps, and similar, tend to be directly related to changes in the types and amounts of recreation use and provide a reliable basis for managing recreation use according to numeric user capacities, where necessary.

In contrast, natural resource-related indicators generally do not have direct and reliably quantifiable relationships to recreation use levels except in extreme low use situations (e.g., trail-less/cross country zones, foot trails with less than 50 to 250 hikers per year). Nonetheless, resource-related indicators should be monitored, and adaptive resource management actions should be taken to protect park resources from impacts.

Managing the characteristics of visitor use (e.g., to concentrate use on established trail treads, road surfaces, and other established recreation resources and facilities, to promote low-impact use behaviors and patterns, etc.) is the most effective method for limiting or reducing recreation use impacts to natural resource-related indicators.

Setting Thresholds and Triggers

Thresholds in visitor use management are the minimally acceptable conditions of indicators to maintain desired conditions. Thresholds should be precise, time-bounded, and outcomes of recreation use rather than types or amounts of recreation use themselves.

Like thresholds, triggers are quantifiable conditions of indicators; they represent points at which adaptive management actions are needed to ensure the conditions of indicators do not cross thresholds. In other words, triggers are designed to support proactive visitor use management to protect park resources and visitors’ experiences from adverse impact, while allowing for recreation use and public enjoyment.

Estimating Numeric User Capacities

When they are necessary, numeric user capacities are estimated based on quantifiable relationships between the types and amounts of recreation use and the conditions of use-related indicators. The best available data are used to estimate the maximum amount of recreation use that can be accommodated without crossing thresholds for user capacity indicators.

For example, trail counter data could be correlated with observations from encounter patrols to estimate the maximum number of people who can hike in a river corridor without crossing a threshold for the number of encounters hikers have with other groups per hour or day. Numeric user capacities are not always needed or applicable.

Developing Visitor Use Management Strategies

Within the IVUMF, visitor use management strategies and actions are developed to achieve desired conditions.

Visitor use management strategies and actions are generally categorized as indirect techniques designed to achieve desired conditions without directly regulating visitors’ choices and behaviors, or direct techniques that may be required when indirect techniques are not enough.

Infographic of indirect visitor use management strategies
Indirect techniques aim to influence or modify behavior
Infographic of direct visitor use management strategies
Direct techniques regulate behavior

Long-Term Monitoring and Adaptive Management

A systematic monitoring program provides the structure to measure indicators and assess their conditions in relation to triggers and thresholds on a recurring basis. Monitoring results provide the basis to determine if actions are needed to adapt management of recreation use to protect natural, cultural, and historical resources from adverse impacts.

Visitor Use Management Use Cases

While still fairly new in practice (the IVUMC was founded in 2011) applications of the visitor use management framework have quickly become prevalent in the National Park System as well as other public land recreation areas.

Visitor Use Management in National Parks

Acadia National Park

Acadia National Park provides unique and important recreation opportunities to regional, national, and international visitors. In 2021, the National Park Service (NPS) reported just over four million recreation visits to the park, marking an increase of over 50% in the past decade. This surge in visitation created a number of visitor use management challenges in the park.

View of crowded parking from Acadia Visitor Use Study
View of crowding in Acadia National Park, prior to implementing the IVUMF

Visitor Use Management in National Forests

United States Forest Service: Wild and Scenic Rivers Visitor Use Management

The United States Forest Services is responsible for managing Wild and Scenic Rivers on lands within their jurisdiction. Part of this responsibility includes fulfilling the visitor use management and visitor capacity mandate of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (1968).

View of studies at park conduced for USFS
Image from USFS visitor use study

Visitor Use Management in Local, County and State Parks

Jefferson County Open Space (JCOS)

Over the years, the Jefferson County Open Space (JCOS) system in Colorado experienced rapid growth in visitation numbers. Various issues were addressed by applying visitor use management principles to develop an access management strategy for popular sites in the JCOS system.

View of parking congestion in Jefferson County Open Space
Parking image from Jefferson County Open Space study

Don Hanson’s Retirement: A Lasting Legacy in Landscape, Planning and Design

Community impact, quality design, and a lasting legacy—all of these are phrases that describe the work of Don Hanson, senior advisor of our planning and landscape architecture division, who has announced his well-deserved retirement. It’s a bittersweet day at Otak, however, we are taking this opportunity to reflect on and commend Don’s work throughout his illustrious career.

A Certified Expert

For the past 37 years at Otak, Don has become a lauded expert in residential, mixed-use commercial, and industrial development work. He also has extensive project experience with public parks/recreation, open space, and streetscape improvements. Greater still, Don served as chairman of the Portland Planning and Sustainability Commission and was a member of the commission for 10 years, setting development and land use policies for the entire Portland Metro Area.

To say Don’s career has been impactful would be an understatement.  Though it’s hard to pick just one of the many projects he’s worked on, we’re zooming in on a few key projects that highlight Don’s legacy both at Otak and in our greater community:

The Project Breakdown

Center Commons—Portland, OR

  • Don’s Role: Serving as the Principal Planner, this project involved the preparation of a master plan and highly detailed site design, as well as a land use approval process coupled with public involvement.
  • Project Highlights
    • This work is regarded by TriMet, the Portland Development Commission, and the neighborhood as a model for transit-oriented development and in-fill development in Portland’s station area districts.
    • The project includes 314 units of housing at both market and affordable rates, housing for seniors, as well as for-sale townhomes. Retail space, a daycare center, and management offices are also provided.
    • The focal point for Center Commons is a “woonerf” space that congregates cars, pedestrians, a playground, a bosque of trees, parking, drop-off zones, and generous sidewalks that provide shortcuts to transit. The development is located adjacent to the 60th and Glisan station of the MAX LRT line.
Aerial view of Columbia Knoll

Columbia Knoll—Portland, OR

  • Don’s Role: As the Principal Planner/Landscape Architect for this project, Columbia Knoll is a mixed-income redevelopment project located on the ten-acre historic Shriners Hospital site in northeast Portland.
  • Project Highlights
    • The redevelopment includes affordable senior independent and congregate housing, as well as affordable family housing, a day-care facility, a community center, and market rate-for-sale townhomes.
    • The 334 housing units are configured in two, three, and four-story structures that are carefully sited to preserve mature existing trees and the historic Shriners front lawn on Sandy Boulevard.
    • The project required detailed coordination with the state Housing Office, the Portland Development Commission, the Historic Landmarks Commission, and an extensive public outreach program with five neighborhood associations. We also worked closely with the NE coalition of neighborhoods throughout the process.
Aerial View of Villebois streetscape

Villebois—Wilsonville, OR

  • Don’s Role: Serving as both Principal and Master Planner, this project is in the countryside west of Wilsonville.
  • Project Highlights
    • Villebois is a spectacular 480-acre site where residential neighborhoods include forests, open spaces, ponds, walking trails, and magnificent vistas. Working in close coordination with the master planner and the City of Wilsonville, Don oversaw the design of a cohesive street and site network that encompasses 135 acres of single-family residences, parks, and open spaces, while preserving the natural features of the site.
    • Individual projects within Villebois include residential subdivision developments, engineering of public roads and private alleys, utility infrastructure design, water quality and detention ponds, and enhancement and creation of wetlands. Final design elements include greenways, trails, neighborhood and regional parks, a future community swim center, and entry monuments.

Involvement and Affiliations

Not only has Don’s skill set had an indelible impact on Otak’s project work, his involvement and community affiliations outside of work set him apart as a luminary in the field and his extensive resume reflects that. Some of the groups Don was a part of, and even led, include:

  • Portland Planning and Sustainability Commission, Past Chair and Former Member
  • Urban Land Institute (ULI)
  • Former Development Review Advisory Committee: City of Portland
  • Former Citizen Advisory Committee Member reviewing the Title 34 Land Development Ordinance: Portland, Oregon
  • Former Stakeholder Advisory Group Member for Vision 2000: Portland, Oregon
  • Committee Member reviewing the Urban Renewal Districts Status: Portland, Oregon
  • Former Downtown Design Review Board Member: Vancouver, WA

Passing the Torch

With a dedicated planning & landscape architecture team now led by staff like our own David Sacamano, Business Unit Leader for our Oregon and Southwest Washington Planning and Landscape Architecture team, Otak will continue to deliver on dynamic projects in Don’s spirit and bring not only our whole selves, but also our expertise to projects in the future. It’s a practice that Don ensured was integral to Otak’s success, and it will continue to be so in our future operations.

Take a closer look at how we celebrated Don’s legacy as an Otakian in this digital booklet and join us in bidding a fond farewell to Don as he begins this well-deserved new chapter.

Thank you, Don—you’ve made Otak a better place.

Take a quick peek at Don’s career below:

Staff Spotlight: Adreanna Broussard’s Path of Identity, Disruption and Pushing Boundaries in Professional Engineering

Otak takes pride in highlighting new members of our team who remind us of our core values. Meet Adreanna Broussard, project controls analyst with TWG, and the subject of today’s staff spotlight.

Craving Disruption

Adreanna Broussard knew from an early point in her career she wanted to play an active role in the built environment. A voracious learner, she had early dreams of getting into architectural engineering, however the University of Texas at San Antonio, her alma mater, did not offer that degree. Faced with uncertainty about her next steps, she leaned on her family for guidance.

“I craved the disruption that civil [engineering] provides. It’s a comfortability with being uncomfortable that has made me a better professional and better able tackle challenges within a constantly changing industry.”

Adreanna Broussard

With her father an electrical engineer and her mother a nurse, the values of hard work and determination saw her take an interest in civil engineering. Adreanna identified the value of the field as part of the same world, where she could make an impact on how communities are built and experienced. She was drawn to the dynamic factors of the profession. In her words, “I craved the disruption that civil [engineering] provides. It’s a comfortability with being uncomfortable that has made me a better professional and better able tackle challenges within a constantly changing industry.”

What is a Professional Engineer (PE)?

A PE, or Professional Engineer certification, signifies that one is recognized by the state as an owner of their work and an expert in the field. Adreanna says a PE opens the doors of the engineering world, enabling those who earn it to work independently, as a consultant, or as an integral member of different firms helping guide projects along. Upon gaining the certification, she will be able to officially sign and stamp official documents as the PIC, and further elevate her aspirations of becoming a luminary in the industry.

Applied Learning

Adreanna credits her hands-on work in civil engineering after completing her degree for making her the well-rounded professional she is today. With an understanding of how projects work on the ground level, she’s able to make quick decisions and see the big picture. As a current project controls analyst, she’s responsible for scheduling, monitoring cost, and managing a wide scope of factors that come with reporting on a project’s lifecycle. However, like a true Otakian, she seeks to continuously improve and grow her skillset. She’s currently doing this by studying for her PE exam, with plans to take the test in November.

Practicing Preparation

When asked about her approach to preparing for the exam, Adreanna emphasizes while studying is important, it goes deeper than textbooks, and she draws on her experience from the totality of her career. She’s seen firsthand and worked with the people who bring design plans to life, and her early opportunities allowed her to wear many different hats, gaining experience with every aspect of the design-build process from paperwork to planning.

Like her, the test is practical. A believer in the power of education and like a true engineer, she loves to learn and take things apart, understanding the science and the art behind building a structure. There’s also an ethical component to the exam, which aligns deeply with her belief in equitable placemaking and community building. Unafraid to bury herself in a practice test or book, Adreanna’s tenacity gives her confidence and motivation to keep studying, to keep working, and keep being the best she can be.

Identity and Aspiration

While looking to elevate herself within the industry, she is also mindful of the space she inhabits within it. It’s no secret the AEC industry, especially in positions of leadership, lacks a diversity and depth of perspective from female leaders as well as leaders of color. She acknowledges this reality, yet views it as an opportunity to rise to the occasion. For this, she relies on experience she’s gained outside of work as a Division I NCAA basketball referee. A similarly male-dominated world, she is well-versed in making her voice heard, her decisions final, and her respect earned not just from her identity, but her experience as a professional. Being a referee taught her how to be accountable, how to carry herself with a professional demeanor, and how to navigate complex and high-stakes situations. She says she draws on this experience almost every day. Adreanna wants to be that leader that breaks the ceiling, and knows what she brings to the table.

Adreanna’s Role Within Otak

To say Broussard’s experience is valuable would be an understatement. She knows her value, and was seeking an employer who understood it too. Dave Hawkins, principal at TWG, knew this and brought Adreanna on without hesitation. When asked about her experience since coming under the Otak umbrella, she emphasizes her appreciation for our community of people, our culture, and our network to which she now has access. Otak is proud to have someone like Broussard among our ranks, and her value, especially from us, will only grow as she grows.

When asked what she would tell potential engineers looking to advance their careers, her advice is to be patient, go at your own pace, and be aware that not all journeys are linear. Every experience is unique, and Broussard emphasizes that her journey, while different, only makes her a stronger professional and a better person.

We’re excited to see her career grow at Otak. Well done Adreanna!

Philip Pittsenbarger Earns Green Globes Certification

It’s time again for Otak to laud a member of our staff who’s taken tangible steps toward being a more sustainable, environmentally conscious professional. Congratulations to our own Phillip Pittsenbarger, project architect, on earning his Green Globes certification.

Philip joined Otak’s architecture group 5½ years ago, specializing in multi-family housing and hospitality, and has current work in our public sector practice. Since college, sustainability has always been a primary interest of his due to his strong connection with the outdoors. He saw the need to tie nature and the built environment together, and strove to become a designer capable of doing their work with the least amount of impact on the planet possible. His portfolio includes projects at the federal and state levels, including for national parks.

Why Green Globes?

Philip saw the greater push for more accredited professionals within our architecture group, and wanted to pursue something different than a standard LEED certification. He identified Green Globes as an alternative thanks to its growing popularity among public projects, and wanted to learn about sustainable building principles and use it as a framework to keep in mind on any project. To him, all projects should be as sustainable as possible, and with emphasis on energy-efficient envelopes, water conservation, and sustainable materials, he began his work on earning the certification.

What is Green Globes?

Green Globes is a green building accreditation available to professionals who work in the built environment. According to the Green Building Initiative (GBI), Green Globes is a comprehensive, science-based building rating system that supports a wide range of new construction and existing building project types. Environmental objectives pursued through Green Globes lead to lower energy and water bills, reduced emissions, optimized health and wellness benefits, and minimized waste.

When asked about what his accreditation allows him to do, Philip defined the process as one of technical mastery and attention to detail. He directly interfaces with a Green Globes auditor, and works to facilitate meetings, organize paperwork, and be the lead on the overall sustainability efforts on any given project he might be working on. He says Green Globes does a great job of integrating sustainability into the overall design-build process, so things are not value-engineered out of the project.

Future Work

The hallmark of Philip’s efforts comes back to one value of his—that sustainability is not a money issue but a central aspect of any project. Through this recent certification, Philip is able to understand important benchmarks and track the health of a project all while getting owners recognition for their sustainable, resilient building. The system is far from perfect, but to Philip, it’s a good start.

Congratulations, Philip, and we look forward to supporting the rest of your project work on our team.

Team Spotlight: Project Controls

Otak continues to grow the depth and breadth of our capabilities. With the acquisition of Tarr Whitman Group (TWG), an advanced project controls firm, it enables us to unveil a new practice area to better serve our clients and aid them in making informed, data-driven decisions at all stages of a project’s lifecycle.

What is project controls, and what is advanced project controls?

Project controls is scope, schedule, and budget. It is the core of project and contract management for projects. But how does this help our clients?

According to TWG President Walter Tarr, project controls comes down to data management and communication. Our new team members specialize in reporting on projects and programs. They help define the success metrics and reporting systems for project managers, clients, and other stakeholders in a digestible fashion, allowing for quick decisions that are rooted in data science and relevant forecasts on things like cost impacts, notices, timelines, and risks involved in a project. Advanced project controls means our new team can provide the software, systems, resources, and processes for large projects and programs.

See a Need, Fill a Need

Tarr saw the need for this service early on in his career. He noticed while working at a construction management firm that larger organizations weren’t getting the most out of their data, or were often making decisions that were reactive, rather than proactive when it comes to project and contract management. Thanks to existing relationships with owners and decision-makers at other firms and the niche market in which it existed, TWG was born as a one-stop for project controls services with both him and Dave Hawkins at the helm.

An Art and a Science

Tarr emphasizes that while project controls is highly technical, there’s an art to it as well. Professionals in this sphere need to be jacks-of-all-trades, having a deep understanding of factors like scheduling, software, cost, construction management, design, and risk management around a project. Greater still, one must be able to communicate this information so PM’s and PIC’s can make decisions at a glance. It’s a trade that involves both macro-level understanding and micro-level attention to detail. To Tarr, TWG is more along the lines of being business managers, helping stakeholders understand where their project as a business sits, and addressing both known and unknown issues—a concept that’s rare in the industry today.

The Differentiator

projectcontrols.online home page

To tackle the herculean task of making sense of multi-million (and sometimes billion) dollar programs, Tarr created Projectcontrols.online, as simple web app born out of a dissatisfaction with existing project reporting system tools and their pricing structures. Most of these tools try to solve the same problem of how to roll up and monitor projects in an easy way, and Projectcontrols.online does just that in a way that doesn’t require endless input from the user. What’s more, the app allows for easy communication of results which is suited for PM’s concerned with the day-to-day. By utilizing project controls, those same PM’s can look ahead and begin to make projections anywhere from one month to one year ahead of time. Firms immediately saw the value in Tarr’s work, and TWG got brought onto high-profile projects as a result.

The Projects

SR 520 for WSDOT – floating bridge program

To view TWG’s body of work is to become acquainted with some of the most high-profile programs in the Puget Sound region. The Sound Transit Eastlink Program, Lynnwood Link Light Rail, SR 520 for WSDOT, and the Port of Seattle are all examples of the exemplary work TWG has done as part of Otak’s broader portfolio of projects. These huge projects align with TWG’s business model—land programs with high capital allowances and high price ceilings. The combination of the work and the approach have made TWG successful.

The Team and the Future

When asked about essential members of his team that make TWG’s work possible, Tarr immediately recognized Brian Muñoz, Warren Jordan, and Tim Sattler as key players in the project controls division who allow the firm to deliver on its promises. As projects only get larger and more complex, Tarr sees the need to continue to grow his team to meet the demand for project controls in the industry as a whole. With greater access to private work via the merger with Otak, Tarr is confident that the relationship will continue to bear fruit and ultimately make both firms stronger.

Please join us in giving a long overdue welcome to the TWG team, and we’re excited to see how this practice area evolves along with our operations.

Welcome, TWG!

Blueprint for Coastal Adaptation: 4 Elements of Resilient Design

For coastal communities, resilience design has shifted from nice-to-have to necessary

With a rapidly warming planet and increasing ferocity of weather patterns, coastal adaptation through resilience design has an added emphasis for today’s built environments.

It’s for good reason too. Currently, more than 50% of the US population ­– some 164 million Americans ­– live in coastal watershed communities while generating 58% of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP). And that number is only growing as more than 1.2 million move to the coast each year.

These coastal communities often bear the brunt of unpredictable weather and seismic events. Vulnerable communities like these must be resilient by design, and able to bounce back after even the most intense storm, tidal wave, earthquake or other catastrophic event.

Sustainability in planning and design, a core tenant of Otak’s mission, aligns directly with an approach to coastal adaptation. In this piece, we’ll discuss how a focus on coastal adaptation planning and resilience design translates into stronger coastal infrastructure and communities, at a time when they’re needed more than ever.

Read along or skip ahead below:

What is Coastal Adaptation and Resilience Design?

Coastal Resilience is defined as “building the ability of a community to bounce back after hazardous events such as hurricanes, coastal storms, and flooding—rather than simply reacting to impacts.”

Resilient design is a matter of preparedness, of being ready for natural hazards before they happen, and of informing clients to be aware of all factors in the design-build process. For example, the overdue cascadia earthquake presents a significant challenge in designing along the coastal fault line. Decisions and plans need to be made to anticipate and mitigate these environmental inevitabilities.

Graph illustrating the operability resilient buildings over time with an emergency event
An illustration of how resilience design allows for quick recovery and multi-purpose utility of building operations during a catastrophic event

Why is Coastal Adaptation and Resilience Design Important?

Such high priority is placed on the resilient design of coastal communities for a variety of reasons. Among them is the simple fact that it’s a matter of survival. Not just the survival of the people in that community, but also the survival of critical infrastructures like power grids, water management systems, bridges, and schools.

This causes us to ask unique questions when we go to work. For instance, how will this community function when, not if, a major environmental event happens? How can existing structures be made into multi-use facilities in times of crisis? Most of all, how can the community adapt to these impacts? It all comes back to how these questions are answered during resilience design and planning.

4 Elements of Coastal Adaptation and Resilience

While there are a variety of variables that come with each specific situation and environment, there are also some overarching factors that impact any coastal resilience planning. These factors help assess vulnerabilities, investigate possible solutions, and set priorities among options that address those highest risks.

Graphic displaying the elements of coastal adaptation and resilience design

As a foundation for designers and planners, these factors can help communities, cities, regions, and governments quantify their vulnerability and risk, while prioritizing people, ecosystems, and economics into their plans.

1. Structurally Sound Built Environments

The first step to designing these communities is making sure all buildings are structurally and architecturally sound. 

Regional specifics inform these design choices for coastal structures, like adding stilts to houses to account for sea-level rise, among others. It’s about taking a long-term view of creating a space, being mindful of how the community lifecycle will function in 50-100 years into the future.

2. Design for Environmental Sensitivities

Local environments have a direct impact on the vulnerabilities and potential hazards that need to be considered during coastal resilience planning. Those details, such as water restoration, also factor into the design of structures themselves and how recovery will affect the surrounding area.

Especially when talking about environmentally sensitive sites, the design should match those nuances and be able to respond to the natural environment accordingly. This can inform decisions down to the last detail. For example, the choice between building with stainless versus galvanized steel can be critical in ensuring the resilience of the structure.

3. Efficiency and Sustainability in Upkeep and Recovery

As hazards and extreme events become more commonplace, the question now often becomes not how does coastal adaptation planning avoid damage, but rather, how does it allow structures (and communities) to recover after the fact?

What happens in the aftermath of a catastrophic event can be equally, if not more important than what happens during. The ability for infrastructure to remain functional, despite sustaining damage, can be all the difference when the fundamentals for survival are at a premium.

How a built environment operates outside of a catastrophic event also has an impact. Limiting the amount of maintenance and upkeep increases preparedness while efficiency and sustainability factors help ensure that built environment isn’t contributing to the underlying causes of climate change while also keeping the costs of waste at a minimum.

4. Planning for Community Vulnerabilities

The process of coastal adaptation and resilience is a constant state of analysis, an ongoing attempt to answer the question of how these communities will function both before and after a catastrophic event.

Building resilience and equity into planning is ultimately about protecting people and saving lives. And it’s important to recognize that certain areas or demographics of a single community can often be more vulnerable than others. Addressing these disparities should come through in the design of infrastructure and the intent behind its built environments.

Adaptive-use structures, or buildings with more than one purpose, are just one way to account for this issue. This means designing spaces like schools that can become shelters with their own generators in case of power grid failure, or we add height to bridges to account for flooding. When we design with intention of keeping people safe, communities are better able to respond on their own until help arrives and are ultimately more prepared to survive.

How to Approach Coastal Adaptation with Resilience Design

While there are a multitude of factors that must be accounted for when planning a community’s resilience design, the approach is often threefold:

  1. Assess regional risk in resilience design by understanding the locations, unique environmental factors, cost details, and most importantly opportunities for improvement in any building phase.
  2. Plan how structures will function during hazardous events, and be converted for multiple uses in times of crisis.
  3. Consider the sustainability of the structure and how it will be used 50-100 years from now, understanding the current carbon footprint and how to reduce it.

However, there are societal and social factors that go into how resilient communities are designed which should also be taken into account.

Identifying Social Vulnerabilities

It is critical to note here that climate change and weather events affect lower-income and houseless people to a higher degree than those with more resources. Clients need to be advised of the social impacts their projects entail because there is a relationship between houseless populations and how we plan for resiliency.

The lack of reasonable, low-income housing is just one issue that exacerbates this reality, which is why resilient communities must account for the whole of the population. Encouraging clients to think about these ideas ultimately makes for a stronger structure that can serve everyone, regardless of socioeconomic background. The reality is natural hazards do not discern between social standing, and communities that are truly resilient are also built with equity and the marginalized in mind.

Accounting for Climate Change Adaptation

While designing with resilience in mind, it’s imperative for coastal communities that projects come down to client goals. It’s important to gauge how clients feel they play into a municipality’s ability to adapt, using this information to inform how we present solutions to their problems.

During resilience planning and design, it’s of utmost importance to stress what the intent of the development truly aims to accomplish. Again, all pieces of infrastructure must be structurally and architecturally sound while meeting those goals.

The result is a resilient community with that also benefits from a reduced carbon footprint in the process.

Designed bridge to replace the second-most-hazardous in the state
Climate Change is Impacting the Risks Faced by Coastal Communities Including Increased Flooding

Lake Shorelines versus Ocean Shorelines

It’s also important to note, not all coastlines are the same. Resilience on shorelines doesn’t just apply to coastal communities. In fact, inland lake shorelines (not to mention river, creek and other shorelines with their own unique properties) must also be planned with a resilient design top of mind. The differences are plenty, however, there is a key distinction between the two.

For instance, if a coastline is not fraught with natural disasters every day, clients can take advantage of good weather conditions by harnessing alternative energy sources like solar power, wind power, and hydraulic power.

Inland lakes lack a tidal risk factor, meaning that communities along ocean shorelines must contend with events like king tides, or tidal shifts that can drastically affect the ferocity of coastal storms. While wind hazards are risk factors for both types of shorelines, there are decisions that need to be made when dealing with one versus the other.

Coastal Resilience Examples: How Otak Builds Resilience in Coastal Communities

Much like the weather events we’ve discussed, Otak’s work is also defined by intersections, and one of the biggest of these is the relationship between our built and natural environment. So, what makes our approach unique?

For one, Otak’s experience is multinational, meaning we have experience across different types of coastlines worldwide and have utilized design solutions that other firms may not have access to.

As a globally positioned organization, Otak has a unique vantage point that cannot be replicated. Just one example of our experience with different locales is our work for the Nestucca Valley School District, a rural educational model that satisfies our requirements of resiliency in an area at risk of wildfires. The school was renovated for existing students but designed for the whole community as a multi-use facility. With a full generator system, and grass fields big enough for helicopter transport, the school can house 3000 people with full power for 3-4 days.

Aerial view of Nustucca Valley Campus
Nestucca Valley Emergency Use Project

Second, Otak’s experience with public infrastructure sets us apart. Not only are we designing for structures that can stand up to harsh weather events, but we’re also planning for how quickly these buildings can bounce back, post-event. This can affect systems like a community’s water supply, wastewater management, and transportation infrastructure.

That’s why we build redundancies into existing systems. From making sure bridges are high enough to account for sea-level rise, to making sure secondary routes are available for evacuated motorists, to installing multiple pipelines in case of earthquakes. When it comes to resilience design, Otak’s work with coastal communities means we can walk our talk.

Want to discover more sustainable projects? Check out more examples of our work in sustainable, resilient design spaces and see how they aim to serve every aspect of the community.