BBT wins contract/Ethanol Plant/SERA Offices

A potential ethanol plant could provide jobs and energy across the river in Oregon.

BBT to design credit union On opposite side of state

Bend - BBT Architects of Bend has just been selected to design a new facility for TLC Federal Credit Union in Tillamook.. The building will serve as the headquarter facility for the credit union, which serves customers in the communities of Tillamook, Astoria, Seaside, Lincoln City and Newport along the Oregon Coast.

BBT is designing a facility that combines traditional materials in a contemporary manner to respond to TLC's desire to create a signature building on their highly visible site. The 27,500-sq.ft., two-story building will include sustainable design features and the use of abundant natural lighting. An interior water feature will be incorporated to reflect the meaning of the word "Tillamook," a Native American word for "land of many waters."

Todd Turner, AIA, will be the BBT principal in charge of the project. Construction of the project will begin in March 2007, with completion scheduled for Summer 2008. The general contractor will be Steve Lilligard of Bend, Oregon.

Port of Vancouver Extends it's Reach Across the River

Vancouver -- Long-time port tenant Great Western Malting may develop the largest ethanol facility in the western United States. The 4.8-acre site is adjacent to its Vancouver malting plant.

The proposed ethanol plant is anticipated to create 42 new direct family-wage jobs, and to inject millions annually into the local economy. The ethanol plant also has the potential to create business for other port tenants to handle the grain movement, and storage and shipment of the ethanol. Upon final project approval, Great Western Malting will provide $250,000 to fund rail improvements necessary for the ethanol plant, and supports the port's south rail project that will add freight rail capacity for port tenants and the mainline rail network.

SERA Building New Offices to House firm

Portland - The Portland-based firm of SERA Architects, Inc. recently began construction to nearly double the size of their downtown office space with an 8,450-sq.ft. second-floor expansion that is designed to achieve LEED for Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI) Platinum, the highest level of certification currently available from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The 80-person integrated architecture, urban design and planning, and interior design firm has landed significant projects and seen its revenue double in the last two years. SERA's staff plans to occupy the additional space by the end of October.

"We have really focused on making sustainable choices for our own business as well as our client's projects, and that has led to significant growth for SERA," said Christine Garrick, SERA's Principal for Operations and Finance. "We outgrew our main space rather quickly. For nearly two years, we have had about 20 people working in temporary space a block from the main office. As an employee-owned company, being together in one office is very important to our culture. We also want our staff's physical environment to reflect SERA's sustainable design and business practices," Garrick explained.

A new staircase, manufactured from recycled treads reclaimed from the deconstructed Louisiana-Pacific Building in Portland, is a key design element that will link the main office with the second-floor expansion. Existing floor joists will be removed for the new stair opening and reused for the stair landings and wall framing. Located in the working nucleus of SERA's office, the staircase will visually and literally forge connections between the first and second-floor spaces.