Page 6 – Otak

Otak Moves to New Location in Vancouver

Otak is proud to formally announce something big out of our Vancouver office — we’ve moved!

Located just two blocks up the road at 805 Broadway, this revitalized office space will continue to serve as Otak’s anchor in SW Washington and integrate us even further into the community of downtown Vancouver.

“We continue to grow with SW Washington, working with great clients on cool projects”, says Tim Leavitt, Otak’s Geography Manager. “This new office location is very exciting, elevating our presence and reaffirming our confidence in the positive trajectory of SW Washington.”

With Otak architecture spearheading the planning and programming of the office, the resulting environment is a creative, clean, and vibrant one that represents Otak through and through. One of the biggest design drivers for moving to this specific space was its tall, open, studio feel, with large windows that let in lots of natural light and showcase a street view. The architecture team also worked to create unique spaces with the office, including a unique floating main conference room that was cantilevered out over the existing space to create more square footage, and a bistro area that opens up to the street, creating an opportunity for Otak to have events that open directly out into the Vancouver community.

Why Did We Move?

More than just a change of scenery, this move to a new office serves strategic purposes for both our firm and our clients. It’s a refreshing of the Otak identity and an increase in space that ties directly into the trajectory of SW Washington.

This move is also an affirmation of our commitment toward the vitality of downtown Vancouver, something we’re deeply proud of as it helps us build meaningful relationships in the community and allows us to be active participants in the city’s renaissance.

With big, open-air spaces and street level views, our new office will also allow Otak to be right where the action is as Vancouver becomes a West Coast destination, and our roots in the city are already expansive.

Rich History

Exterior of Hotel Indigo at dusk — *Hotel Indigo and Kirkland Tower*

Our history in Vancouver goes back to Otak’s original identity, and just some of the projects we’ve worked on or are currently working on for the city include:

VancouverCenter (our former office location)
Vancouver Waterfront Gateway
Hotel Indigo and Kirkland Tower
Coen North (Downtown Block 10)
Interstate 5 Bridge Replacement Project

We’re not stopping there! This new office will allow us to continue to take on transformational projects for not just the city of Vancouver, but also for all of SW Washington.

Community Engagement

Did we mention we love downtown Vancouver? We have an ongoing and fruitful relationship with the Vancouver Downtown Association facilitating Vancouver’s renaissance, and our own Tim Leavitt, former mayor of Vancouver for 8 years, is Chair of the Board of Directors for the Parks Foundation of Clark County.

Otak is also involved in the community at the ground level. We regularly participate in neighborhood litter cleanups, work with the SW Washington Walk & Knock Food Drive, and spend time feeding unhoused populations in the city with the Clark County Food Bank.

An Integral Part of Otak’s Mission

Our legacy in the PNW knows no bounds, and our new Vancouver office is evidence that Otak remains ready to serve the communities of SW Washington and Oregon directly in the neighborhoods in which people live.

Stay tuned for more announcements and news coming from our refreshed location, and here’s to reigniting life into downtown Vancouver through expert, practical design.

Maddie Woods Earns Sustainable Transportation Professional Accreditation

Otak has a tradition of lauding members of our staff who go above and beyond, earning certificates that prove their commitment to delivering new and innovative insights into projects. And when one of us does this in the name of sustainability, we’re especially excited to give them the kudos they deserve.

This is the case with Maddie Woods, who recently earned her Sustainable Transportation Professional accreditation.

Meet Maddie

Maddie joined Otak four and a half years ago as a Project Coordinator out of our Colorado office. Her early involvement with our Green Otak (GO) Committee and passion for sustainability saw her quickly ascend through the committee to oversee much of its operations. She was dubbed our official Sustainability Coordinator in Summer 2021, and played a key role in the development and implementation of our new Sustainability Action Plan. Maddie’s pursuit of sustainable transportation practices through Greenroads makes her even more of an asset.

What is Greenroads?

According to the Sustainable Transport Council, Greenroads is a rating system developed to measure and manage the sustainability of transportation projects. The rating system assesses sustainability across five core areas and twelve additional requirements for projects that want to be certified. This assessment tool aims to encourage the reduction of environmental impact and resource use of transportation projects as well as improvements in safety, mobility, and access.

Why Greenroads?

Maddie originally wanted this certification to aid in supporting Otak Projects, namely the Laporte Avenue Bridge Improvements project for the City of Fort Collins.

With Dan Beltzer as project manager of our structural group, and with support from Kevin Dooley for Transportation and Infrastructure, the client was interested in pursuing certification with the help of Otak, and sought to bring accredited professionals onboard the project. Maddie saw her opportunity to not only aid in serving the client, but also reinforce her credibility as a sustainability professional: “I was eager to learn more about transportation projects, and with Greenroad’s focus on doing that sustainably plus the influx of money coming to sustainable construction through the new Infrastructure Bill, resilient transportation is really the future.”

Going Beyond Business as Usual

When asked about how sustainable projects should be conducted in the future, Maddie had aspirations of sustainability being integrated into projects from the very beginning. She explains, “Business as usual often implies that sustainable choices are additional costs rather than necessary aspects of a project amidst a climate that is shifting. I’d like to see sustainable choices become business as usual.”

The Value Add

The principles behind Greenroads certifications truly are the future of transportation projects across the United States, and Maddie has certainly added value to every project she works on moving forward.

Otak is proud to have Maddie on our sustainability team, and her continued success in project work is a testament to how deeply committed she is to the practice.

Learn more about sustainability at Otak and how it’s a critical part of “Our Why.”

Danah Palik Earns SITES Accreditation

Thanks to Otak’s GO (Green Otak) Committee, we’re able to empower our staff to live their values of sustainability every day. It follows that when team members advance their credentials in the sustainability space, we should give them the attention they deserve.

One of these employees is Danah Palik, landscape architect, who recently earned her SITES AP, or Sustainable Sites Initiative Accredited Professional certification.

Danah joined Otak in 2018. A dedicated member of our planning and landscape design team, her experience on city and outdoor park projects for NPS has made her indispensable. After half a year’s effort to get this certification, she passed the exam in December of 2022 and was eager to talk to us about what SITES enables.

But just what is SITES? And what does it mean?

According to the Sustainable Sites Initiative, the SITES AP establishes a common framework to define the profession of sustainable landscape design and development. It provides landscape professionals with the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, expertise, and commitment to the practice of sustainable design.

Those seeking to get the accreditation must meet existing requirements and pass an exam that demonstrates not only their knowledge, but their pledge to sustainable land development.

Danah has certainly demonstrated that commitment. When asked why she wanted the certification in the first place, she said, “I wanted to improve my knowledge base of sustainable land use practices. Not every project emphasizes sustainability in this way, but having SITES in my background enables me to bring that knowledge to the job site whether it’s emphasized or not.”

Communicating the value of this to clients comes down to user experience. When people actually use a site that has been engineered to be sustainable (both during the project and after completion), PM’s save time, money, and materials by integrating a SITES framework.

When asked how sustainable projects should be in the future, Danah doubles down, “I constantly think about how sustainable practices can be best used in every step of project delivery. I’d like to see a project take that on from the outset, integrate it into its entire lifecycle, and conduct more post-occupancy evaluations to continue to stay in tune with the site. SITES has helped me look at every project this way.”

Congratulations Danah on this achievement! To learn more about our firm-wide commitment to sustainability, check out Otak’s sustainability page.

AIA Design Conference 2022: A Lesson in Architecture Ethics

From a design perspective, what makes a building, space, or structure “good?”

Architectural ethics, or knowledge of moral principles in the built environment, is an issue that deserves analysis at every stage of the design-build process. Architects across the industry should be asking themselves the right questions: what makes a building good for the public, even if it’s not publicly owned?

This crucial step in the designing of buildings is a question that Otak project architect, Levi Wall tackled head-on when he led an ethics workshop at the 2022 AIA Colorado Practice + Design Conference.

“Ethics give architects a way of framing and understanding what we want to see in the world… and helps you find the why behind answering the question of how.”

Levi Wall, Otak project architect

What is the AIA Practice + Design Conference?

The Colorado Chapter of the AIA hosts a signature event in the fall, where architects and designers can come together to network, educate, and be inspired by other visionaries in the field.

Held at the Keystone Resort in 2022, it’s an event that demands the best of the best in the region, and inspiration struck Levi to play a more active role in the educational aspect of the conference by hosting a workshop, titled Designing Ethics.

Who is Levi?

Levi Wall is an accomplished practitioner of design with experience in urban projects, commercial interiors, K-12 schools, large-scale masterplans, and small-scale design interventions. He also serves as a Lecturer and Adjunct instructor at the University of Colorado Denver’s College of Architecture and Planning.

Previously serving as an architectural designer and then a full-fledged architect at DLR Group in the greater Denver area, his practice is rooted in the aesthetics of Denver architecture and the legacy of the city he calls home.

What do Ethics Mean in Architecture?

Levi credits a TED Talk featuring Alejandro Arevena, a Pritzker prize-winning architect from Chile, with inspiration for his workshop, and let a quote from that talk guide his thoughts as he developed his slide deck—“There is nothing worse than answering well the wrong question.”

Levi sought to raise awareness about ethical frameworks and how they relate to the built environment—designing to uplift communities is as important as ever. To Levi, a deep dive into ethics and design would help other architects start thinking about and answering the right questions:

At the very least, Levi sought to start a conversation and wanted to call other architects to action, to merge what they were talking about at the conference with the practice of their everyday design work.

“Our everyday jobs include balancing different values with money that isn’t our own – it often belongs to the client or public – so we’re already doing the work of figuring out what’s valuable in a built environment.”

Levi Wall, Otak project architect

The Approach

Employing Q&A tactics and SWAT analyses, Levi posed an icebreaker to the audience, prompting them to think about if they had ever been unsure in their work about the “right” thing to do as designers.

He invited audience members to probe those dilemmas and ethical conundrums, and came back to his initial icebreaker question: that ethics in architecture has everything to do with the alignment of values from clients to the public.

The Takeaway

Levi, from the outset, sought to get audiences thinking about how to utilize ethical frameworks throughout the design process, and now to measure the ethical impact of the designs they create. Ethics already plays a role in his work as a part of our Denver architecture studio, where work ranges from affordable housing to higher education buildings.

Take a look at more of our architectural work here, and join us in congratulating Levi on a successful workshop as he continues to prove himself to be a visionary in the Denver architecture space.

Otak Hosts a New Bend Office Bash

Otak’s exercise in expansion continues to proud to announce another new office in Bend, OR has officially opened. We’re excited to have a home base in Bend so we can be better linked to the communities and projects we are dedicated to sponsoring in the area.

With deep roots in the great Pacific Northwest, Otak’s history is directly tied to the communities of the region. It’s where our first-ever office opened in Lake Oswego, Oregon over 40 years ago, with the great city of Portland now home to our corporate headquarters.

However, the best work in the built environment is done while engaging communities, and designing for the communities in which people live. That philosophy has guided Otak’s exercise in expansion, and we’re proud to announce our new office in Bend, Oregon at 532 SW 13^th Street is officially open for business.

We commemorated the occasion by hosting a taco truck-fueled celebration, where members of the community were invited along with current Bend partners. Local industry leaders were also invited to meet our staff directly and create and develop local connections.”

Hear about the event directly from Millicent Williams, Regional Director for our Oregon/Southwest Washington Public Sector practice:

“It was so great to meet so many existing and potential clients as well as potential partners. Everyone seemed pleased to welcome Otak to the neighborhood and I’m glad that we are expanding our footprint.”

– Millicent Williams, Bend Office Leader

We really enjoyed putting on the Bend Office Bash for everyone who attended, and we’re excited to get to work serving – and being part of – the community that lives there.

Otak Opens its Doors in Denver

The location of Otak offices are important to not only the projects that take place in the area but also being members of the communities they aim to uplift. Denver is the latest addition to that list.

As part of the Colorado region, Otak has a deep connection with the city of Denver. That connection has now been made official.

We’re excited to announce our expanding presence on the front range with the opening of our brand-new office at the 1444 Wazee Street building in Downtown Denver.

In the heart of the mile high city, our team will now be surrounded by some of its most prominent structures as well as a vibrant urban environment where staff are already active participants. With proximity to public transport—including Union Station—and landmarks such as Larimer Square and Coors Field, the Otak office will be immersed in a community with mutual interests.

“We’re thrilled to make our new space in Downtown Denver a reality… that presence will contribute to great collaboration between staff and the community while representing the hub of our rapidly growing Colorado Architecture practice.”

– Chris Bisio, Colorado Region Manager

Establishing roots in Downtown Denver serves not only strategic purposes, but also expands our footprint in the region for growing involvement with the community.

From this location, we will continue to build on our core commitments to community building 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.

Between our office in Louisville and Denver, we look forward to supporting and partnering with the varied communities of the Colorado region for years to come.

Street view of Otak Denver Office — Exterior view of Otak’s Downtown Denver Office

Hispanic Heritage Month

This Hispanic Heritage Month, Otak continues our tradition of amplifying staff voices whose cultures intersect with the work they do every day. Today we invite you to meet Sandy Stewart, our office manager in Colorado, who taught us about what her Hispanic heritage means to her.

Working for the Family

Sandy is Guatemalan, and she says a huge part of her upbringing was tied to the family values instilled in her from a young age. With 8 siblings as well as 3 generations of her family in the house, she learned early on about concepts like sharing, respect for elders, and caring for people at all levels in the family structure.

She emphasizes that embedded in all this was the value of work: “We didn’t come from wealth back home, so we had to work extra hard for what we had. Everyone pitched in to make sure the family was happy, and I learned about what it means to truly have a hard work ethic.”

Faith and Food

Life for Sandy wasn’t just about supporting her family. The rich culture of Guatemala provided her access to a deeply held faith. A practicing Catholic to this day, she says her religious beliefs tie directly into the values she was taught as a part of her family, and still finds it playing an important role in her identity.

Her faith runs deep, but her love of authentic Guatemalan food runs deeper, “Food is incredibly important to Guatemalan culture. The act of getting together with family, cooking together, and sharing unique dishes with the people you love is therapeutic.” She pointed us to her favorite—Pepián, a meaty, spicy stew that fuses Spanish and Mayan cultures to create what many see as Guatemala’s national dish.

Rich History

Sandy notes here how much Mayan history plays a role in not just the food, but also in the regional differences in Guatemala. According to the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs, 43.75% of the country is indigenous. Far from being a monolith, each region has integrated Spanish and ancient Mayan cultures in different ways. From textiles to ruins to regional dishes, this heritage is on full display through different dialects and even languages among people who live there.

It’s also apparent when talking about the natural spaces that make Guatemala unique. Sandy says locals refer to the country as a “place of eternal spring” due to the unmarked seasons and lack of extreme weather patterns. One of her favorite places, Lago De Atitlán, is home to active volcanoes and lush scenery where you can see the area untouched by the outside influences of Spanish colonization.

Culture Informs Work

When asked about how her heritage plays a role in her current work, Sandy doubled down on the work ethic instilled in her growing up. “My culture has made me responsible. It’s something I refer back to often because I’ve always had to work for the things I want, and I think that’s very valuable.” This lack of entitlement has been a driving force for Sandy, who had to contend with cultural differences when she came to the U.S. 22 years ago. Gone were the affectionate and warm norms of her home, and she had to adjust to an American culture where, to her, people are more distant. Instead of getting discouraged, her desire to earn her way has made her a role model for those who overcome cultural adversity.

In an industry that is dominated by Caucasian men with little opportunity to use her Spanish-speaking skills, Sandy acknowledges this reality while simultaneously saying it doesn’t define her, “I feel lucky to have the job I have. I was given a shot early on when I moved here, and I’ve never felt prejudice or like I haven’t been treated with respect. Instead, I get the opportunity to be myself.”

Otak celebrates Sandy and all that she’s done to deserve an essential place as a member of our staff. We proudly laud our employee’s cultures and unique perspectives, and Sandy provides that every day.

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month from Otak.

Otak Hosts ACE Mentor Program’s Class of 2022

Otak is committed to nurturing the development of our industry’s next generation of talent, which is why we cherish our relationship with the ACE Mentor Program of Oregon.

A Partnership Supporting the Future of the Industry

An after-school initiative that connects Portland-area high school students to careers in architecture, engineering, and construction, the ACE Mentor Program serves 150 students per year. It also gives Otak an opportunity to give back, which is why we leapt at the chance to host an event at our HQ in honor of this year’s graduates.

“Stay hungry for knowledge and keep an open mind. Learning is a life-long effort that needs to be continually updated…”

– Josh Guerra, Otak Senior Project Architect and former ACE Mentor

Besides showing students and their families around the Otak office, we donated school supplies, tools, and some Otak gear to those about to embark on their vocational journeys in the building arts. Josh Guerra, Senior Project Architect at Otak and former mentor in the program, also took the time to impart some words of wisdom to this year’s graduating class:

“I advise you to stay hungry for knowledge and keep an open mind. Learning is a life-long effort that needs to be continually updated… I encourage you to take elective classes outside of your major. Study philosophy, theology, literature, business, and psychology. Avoid classes that try to teach you what to think, and instead seek out classes that teach you how to think critically.”

It’s this kind of learning and development that drives Otak’s operations, and it’s a desire for new, bright, diverse talent that keeps us faithful to our mission. We’d like to extend a formal thank you to the students and families that came to the event, and we wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

Four OtakCPM Projects Win DJC Oregon Top Projects Awards

Otak is proud to announce that four OtakCPM projects have won DJC Oregon Top Projects Awards for 2022! The DJC Oregon is the premier publication covering news of the building and construction fields in Oregon and SW Washington. Project teams from all over the region submitted their projects for consideration and, out of 84 finalists, we took home four trophies for our Project Management/Owner’s Representative work.

OtakCPM, our PMCM/Owner’s Rep services group, was fortunate to be part of projects whose design, construction and project management project teams produced some truly phenomenal projects for owners: The North Clackamas School District, the Nestucca Valley K-8 School Expansion, Lake Oswego City Hall and Police Station, and the Salem Public Library Renovation.

The DJC awards cap off a wonderful month of recognition; Otak was also named by the Engineering News Record (ENR) as the Top Design Firm in the Northwest.

Take a closer look at the details behind each of this year’s DJC awarded projects and the unique solutions the OtakCPM team implemented to bring the client’s vision to completion.

Project Winners

Lake Oswego City Hall and Police Station: First Place – Public Facilities

Lake Oswego City Hall and Police Station had our division tasked with owner’s representative services for the whole project’s lifecycle, overseeing the delivery of secured parking for police facilities and 9-1-1 operations, as well as the retrofitting of City Hall and designing to LEED Gold standards. Otak CPM worked with Mackenzie as the architect and used CM/GC delivery method—all of which resulted in a completely modernized, redefined part of city infrastructure.

Project Team Owner: City of Lake Oswego, Architect: Mackenzie, Contractor: Howard S. Wright, Consultant: Interface

Salem Public Library: Third Place – Public Facilities

PMCM was also commissioned as the owner’s representative on the Salem Public Library Renovation, Services the Otak CPM team provided include review of plans and specifications throughout the design process, bidding assistance, construction management, budget and schedule tracking, assistance with project close-out, and contract administration. This all went to ensure a successful delivery using the Progressive Design-Build method.

Project Team Owner: City of Salem, Architect: Hacker Architects, Contractor: Howard S. Wright

Nestucca Valley School Expansion: First Place – Primary Education (<$50M)

As owner’s representatives for the Nestucca Valley K-8 School expansion, we oversaw a revitalization of a 1953-era elementary school to expand the curriculum from a K-5 school to a K-8 school, with a future capacity of 380 students. The new facility includes a double gymnasium, flexible layout new classrooms, a library/media space, a music space, a new kitchen, open layout commons/cafeteria, school administration offices & District administration offices.

Project Team – Owner: Nestucca Valley School District, Architect: DLR Group, Contractor: O’Brien & Company

Adrienne Nelson High School: Third Place – Primary Education (>$50M)

For the North Clackamas School District, we were nominated for our project management work at Adrienne Nelson High School, in which we managed the $503 Million dollar Capital Construction bond. The funds allowed for basic, large-scale repairs in existing schools including heating, ventilation, roofing, plumbing, windows, lighting, energy efficiency, and ongoing improvements to school facilities like a revitalization of STEM classrooms.

Otak Team and Partners

While all these projects have stories, they wouldn’t be award-winning if not for our teaming partners and those who nominated us. So we’d like to extend a warm thank you to not only them, but also the DJC Oregon for this recognition.

We also can’t forget about our tremendous OtakCPM team for continuing its tradition of excellence.

Want to learn more about some of our projects? Our experience engine has everything you need to search for any Otak project on our website. Check it out to see even more award-winning work.

Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Month

Otak is pleased to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Month, a month we’ve dedicated to lauding the heritage of our AAPI staff. Rather than simply proclaim our support for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, we asked key members of our teams to talk about what their heritage means to them.

Henry Alaman, Senior Vice President of Otak CPM, said, “Filipino culture is family-centric—we respect the wisdom of our elders and come together regularly to celebrate with them, share a meal (there’s ALWAYS really good food), and connect with our aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews. I naturally want to connect with the folks that I work with and see them as part of my extended family.”

Jon Yamashita, Director of Land Surveying, said, “Despite (or maybe because of) being in WWII internment camps, our family was strongly patriotic. My father and uncles all served in the US Army during the Vietnam era and our homes had Japanese furnishings and decorations- but always American flags and photos of the current US Presidents on the wall (along with John Wayne and Clint Eastwood). Watching my grandparents, parents, and uncles working weekends at a family papaya farm in Hawaii taught me the value of overcoming obstacles with constant, consistent effort and always thinking about ways to be more efficient and effective, traits I try to bring to work with me every day.”

Ann Nguyen, Landscape Architect, said, “My upbringing and lived experiences allow me to connect with different communities and boosts my creativity and sensitivity to the landscape ecology, accessibility, and culture in my design work. It is culturally ingrained in me to respect and value the cycle and balance in our natural environment so everything can continue for future generations.”

These values of community, building resilience, and respect for our environment not only reflect Otak’s values but also add to them. It is unique perspectives from a diverse range of staff that make us who we are, and we are grateful for the insight that our AAPI team members bring to work every day.

Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Month!