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Expertise: Architecture

Cannon Beach Parks and Trails Master Planning

Cannon Beach is a community of about 600 full-time residents that attracts over 750,000 visitors a year to its scenic beaches, charming shops and restaurants, festivals and events, and vibrant art community. In emphasizing its features, a comprehensive master plan for long-range development of the City of Cannon Beach’s existing park and trail network.

A Comprehensive Master Plan for Long-Range Development

In addition to its natural features, Cannon Beach also encompasses lands with a rich and important cultural history for Native Americans and early settlers. As the City’s first Parks and Trail Master Plan, the clear, functional document addresses the recreational needs of both the local community and the seasonal influx of visitors, while raising awareness of the historical significance this special place holds. Leading the public engagement process and design, Otak developed a plan that will create an inviolable “green framework” around which other land uses will naturally coalesce and create benefits for the community. After the master plan was finished, the City retained Otak to redesign a state park at Tolovana Wayside, along with beach access plaza and interpretive art in celebration of Oregon’s famed “Beach Bill.”

Polishing Portland’s Pearl With The New Hyatt Place

The Pearl District’s proposed mixed-use building on Northwest 12th and Flanders represents a new kind of sustainable design for hospitality and housing in Portland, helped by a change in the City of Portland’s building codes. The 23-story building will house a Hyatt Place Hotel on the first 11 floors, topped by 12 floors of housing and amenity space.

As Portland is growing faster than it can accommodate people, the demographics are changing. Population forecasts predict that each year over the next five years, the Portland metropolitan region will welcome nearly 6,000 new residents between the ages of 20 and 34 years old. Although more than 15,000 new housing units were built from 2010 to 2014, only a few hundred of these units ensure long-term affordability. At the same time, the number of vehicles sold to 18- to 34-year-olds has significantly dropped and TriMet’s ridership continues to increase.

Portland must provide growth capacity for 123,000 new households through 2035 and accommodate the need for a variety of housing types at different price levels. Through better implementation of an affordable housing bonus structure, the City of Portland can move closer to its goal of equitable, healthy, and complete neighborhoods.

Portland’s trendy Pearl District is the perfect place to live and work car-free, so it’s the optimal location for this creative new property, which will be designed by Otak.

It began with a vision

James Wong, co-founder and CEO of Vibrant Cities, wanted to build a livable, leading-edge, 11-story apartment building on what is now a parking lot. A multifamily real estate development firm, Vibrant Cities aims to build vibrant, smart, and sustainable communities in sought-after neighborhoods that people feel proud to call home.

Otak’s involvement

After interviewing several firms, James Wong chose Otak to design the building because he liked the company’s multidisciplinary approach and visionary philosophy focused on next-generation communities. Casey McKenna, Otak Senior Project Manager, is leading the design team made up of experts from all services offered by Otak: design, landscape architecture, land use planning, civil engineering, structural engineering, survey, and architecture. DCI Engineers will be the lead structural engineer and UEB Builders will be the general contractor.

A new opportunity for the Pearl

As Vibrant Cities continued to explore development options for the site, the concept of a hotel development arose.  Enter Ray Harrigill of The Sunray Companies, a hotel management and development company, who has formed a new partnership with James Wong called “Parq on 12th.”

The new Portland Central City 2035 zoning changes, which came into effect in the summer of 2018, transformed the opportunities for this 10,000-square-foot property. In response to recent urban growth, the City is allowing unlimited density, or floor-area ratio, and a new allowable maximum height of 250 feet for this property if it includes affordable housing. As a result, the proposed building concept transitioned once more into the current hotel/residential concept that includes affordable housing, and the height went from 11 to 23 stories.

Elegant design challenges

With a 23-story building on a small footprint, efficient and elegant design will be paramount. The two different types of use will require two separate entrances with a shared bank of elevators and a loading dock, with priority given to pedestrian experience. “Given the significance of this precedent-setting, innovative mixed-use building, the architecture must be exceptional,” said Brian Fleener, Otak’s Director of Architecture. “How this building transitions from the tower down to the pedestrian realm, and complements the neighborhood’s architecture and character, will be critical.”

Sustainability at the forefront

The design and development team embraced the opportunity for innovative, sustainable design and has chosen to use Green Globes to guide its sustainable design practices. The team is also working with the Energy Trust of Oregon to explore incentives and rebates for sustainable and efficiency elements.

A green roof will form the team’s strategy for stormwater retention. Fortunately, Otak has plenty of experience with green roofs. In fact, Otak designed the city’s largest green roof in 2004 at Portland State University’s Broadway Housing facility, a LEED-Silver certified project, with Gerding-Edlen Development.

Amenities for the Pearl

Residents of the Pearl District will benefit from a new spot to grab coffee, wine, or a bite to eat…either in a new café or on the sidewalk under the new tree canopy.  The building will offer hotel conveniences to tenants and fit in seamlessly with the surrounding neighborhood. This new building will be designed to fit the way people live, work, and play. “It’s our responsibility to leave a lasting legacy for future generations,” said Vibrant Cities CEO James Wong. “Sustainability and integration will be at the forefront of our design and construction as we create a great place to live and stay.”

Moving from planning to construction

The design team is in the design advice review stage with the City and has also met with the Pearl District Neighborhood Association’s Land Use and Transportation Committee. Li Alligood, who leads the Otak planning effort, will submit the land use application once the design is complete. By 2022, the Pearl District will have a new architectural innovation—Portland’s first new combined hospitality and housing space!

Otak Architect Plays Central Role in Shaping the Urban Environment

Gary Larson first knew he wanted to become an architect at age 13. Growing up on the Olympic Peninsula and working with his builder father to design houses, he had design in his blood. After graduating from Washington State University, he moved to Boston and joined Kallmann McKinnell and Knowles Architects and got his start working with the team that designed the competition-winning Boston City Hall.

During his 50+ years in the business, Gary has played a central role in defining and shaping the urban environment, for which he has achieved national recognition for design excellence from the American Institute of Architects and major architectural publications. In 1976, while with ZGF Partnership, Gary was project designer for the three-building, 230-foot-tall World Trade Center on Portland’s waterfront, linking three buildings on three blocks with a unique, glazed space frame bridge and roof structure, redefining the city’s urban experience forever.

In the past 50 years, he’s worked as senior principal, global design leader, partner, and design director for notable firms such as ZGF Partnership, MG2, and Walker McGough. He also cofounded his own design firms, Parker Larson Architects in New York City and BML Architects in Portland.

Shortly after Gary retired from MG2, Otak’s Brian Fleener, Director of Architecture, asked Gary to work at Otak. Intrigued by the possibility of working with Brian to help sculpt and elevate the company’s architecture practice, Gary agreed to come out of retirement to join Otak. He quickly stepped into the fun challenge of mentoring Otak’s younger architects while they worked on great projects that have significant meaning in their communities.

“Gary and I have worked together for many years,” said Brian. “The passion he brings to project design is unequaled in this industry. Every time we get into a discussion about design, I leave the conversation full of energy.”

Since Gary and Brian have joined Otak, the company has teamed with Kirkland Development to design the boutique Hotel Indigo on the Vancouver waterfront and is working with James Wong from Vibrant Cities to design Hyatt Place, an innovative, mixed-use hotel/housing high-rise on a small site in Portland’s Pearl District. Next they will tackle revitalizing a mixed-use building, Jasmine, in the heart of Seattle’s Chinatown.

Gary’s design portfolio includes iconic northwest projects such as the KOIN Tower, the Veterans’ Medical Center, Bellevue Towers, the Tower 12 residential mixed-use project near the Seattle Waterfront, Pacific Tower, as well as the Kaiser Interstate campus, Oregon Graduate Institute’s Cooley Science Center, Kah-Nee-Ta Vacation Resort, Convent of the Holy Names, Temple Beth Shalom, St. Luke’s Hospital, and Spokane County City Public Safety Building. Beyond the northwest, he’s designed Chengdu’s 57-story Suning Plaza and the Wuxi Chong An Towers in China.

“I’m enjoying working at Otak and sharing my commitment to outstanding design and quality,” said Gary. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to cultivate and mentor the next generation of architects by sharing my passion for enhancing the urban experience through sustainable, elegant, and functional design.”

Award-winning V3 Studio Joins Otak, Advancing Vision to Unite Art and Science

When Gary Reddick, president of award-winning architectural firm V3 Studio, is asked why he was drawn to Otak, he talks about the Multnomah County Courthouse. “Otak is there, and everybody else isn’t,” said Gary. “Otak was chosen to manage the construction of two of the largest building projects downtown—the courthouse and the Portland Building—and that says something about the company’s commitment to outstanding project management and client service.” Gary was attracted to the way Otak combines great design and solid project delivery to deliver the best service to our clients.

Gary’s company, V3 Studios, is bringing their extensive experience to advance Otak’s vision of combining science and art, and architecture and engineering, into the way the firm designs and creates next-generation communities. Gary’s portfolio and experience elevate Otak’s design capabilities several notches, in addition to the legacy of senior designer Gary Larson.

Recognized as a leader in design, V3’s award-winning work illustrates a passion and commitment to urban projects that are responsive to their locale and context, which complements Otak’s urban development work in hospitality and housing. Both Otak and V3 believe that projects have become too complicated for either art or science. Instead we must integrate art, structure, sustainability, and water management to design projects that serve our changing world.

Their work and expertise complement Otak’s portfolio of multifamily housing, high rises, master planning, and hospitality projects:

    • Gary Reddick, AIA: A recognized expert in urban planning and smart growth, Gary has dedicated his career to designing high-quality architecture and increasing the livability of communities in the United States and throughout the world. His multifamily housing, hospitality, and master planning designs span the globe. A leader in the field, he’s frequently asked to speak at conferences, universities, planning departments, and civil organizations on urban architecture and master planning. A graduate of the University of Oregon and well known in Portland as a civic leader and architect for 40 years, Gary is also an accomplished fine artist with over 250 repeat collectors around the world.
    • Chris Maykut: Specializing in international urban planning and building design from conceptualization through design development, Chris is dedicated to strengthening and engaging the built urban environment through pedestrian-oriented sustainable communities. His senior design experience includes master planning large, high-density mixed-use developments, small urban infill projects, and retail projects ranging from dense multi-story urban malls to pedestrian lifestyle centers in the United States and overseas. Chris graduated from the Portland State University School of Architecture.
    • Jason Marshall: Jason joined V3 Studios in 2018 after earning his master’s in architecture from UCLA and designing museums and single-family residences in Virginia, Tennessee, Nebraska, and California. He then expanded into hospitality, residential, retail, and mixed-use projects in the U.S. and internationally. The company he founded, Lime Design Collective, worked with big brands on exhibit and environment design, as well as retail and consumer experience.

“Gary brings an exceptional 40-year history in Portland and beyond,” said Jim Hamann, Otak’s CEO. “We’re fortunate to have Gary and the V3 team join Otak and continue to elevate Otak’s design capabilities and portfolio.”

Otak’s inclusive architecture practice combines civil engineering, land use planning, and landscape architecture, with a focus on the art and science of development. This varied expertise allows the company to tap into resources quickly and apply them collaboratively, offering innovative design solutions that are both functional and cost-effective. Otak has a reputation for smart, creative design that integrates natural and built environments. By bringing this design philosophy into communities, Otak transforms the way people use, experience, and enjoy the spaces they inhabit.

Internship Opportunity for Sustainability-Minded Architecture Student

Are you an architecture student who is an organized communicator with a passion for sustainability? We need you!

Otak has received a 2019 Net Zero Emerging Leaders Internship grant from the Energy Trust of Oregon to hire an architecture student for a 12-week internship beginning in January 2019.

The intern will run energy use intensity analyses of past and current Oregon projects and report findings into the AIA 2030 Challenge DDx database. Working closely with design staff in determining project energy performance, the intern will gain experience in energy analysis and its role in high-performance design. The individual will gain knowledge of the processes related to the AIA 2030 Challenge and collaborate with other interns to improve the database’s efficiency and accuracy.

“We are moving the AIA 2030 Challenge forward with this grant!” said Brian Fleener, Otak’s Director of Architecture. “This is a wonderful opportunity to grow the next generation of energy-efficient architects. Thanks to the Energy Trust of Oregon for your commitment to this important effort!”

This is a paid internship at $20/hour, requiring a minimum of 15 hours a week from January to March 2019. Preference will be given to students who can work up to over 25 hours per week; have excellent organizational, file management, and communication skills; and have experience with Revit, SketchUp, and Sefaira.

The internship program advances Energy Trust’s goal to design all buildings to net zero energy by 2030. The interns will share the knowledge they gain with their peers and the larger design community at an Energy Trust training and education event in April 2019.

The 2019 Net Zero Emerging Leaders Internship Program supports students on a path to becoming leaders in their field, while also growing Oregon’s network of forward-thinking design professionals throughout the state.

44th & Belmont Apartments

The 44th and Belmont Apartments building adds multi-family housing to booming southeast Portland. The site’s split zone allowed our architects to design a unique four-story building that has three stories in front to conform with zone regulations.

Creative Multi-Family Design Solves Unique Zoning Challenges

Offering 63 units that range from three-bedroom units and two-story townhomes to studios and one-bedrooms, the building also has two live + work units with street-level storefronts. The building’s features include a rooftop community room with a deck, kitchen, special amenities, and views of downtown Portland. An interior courtyard – designed by Otak landscape architecture – includes a fire pit and flow-through planters. The design includes floor joists salvaged from historic homes that had previously been on the site. Despite unique zoning constraints during the permitting process with the City of Portland that technically consider the project two separate buildings, those challenges were overcome to build it as one structure.