A New Building, By and For Alumni
When the Ford Alumni Center opens, it will be a place for former University of Oregon students to congregate and for prospective students to get to know the university and serve as the front door of campus.
But for the three Opsis Architecture principals, it is much more. The building represents a journey that started when they were students at the UO and comes full circle as they design the building's interior space.
Alec Hosler, James Meyer and Jim Kalvelage studied architecture together, graduating from the UO in 1981. In the midst of a poor economy, the three went their separate ways.
"In this current economy, people often say it hasn't been this bad since 1981," said Meyer. "We were graduating in that economy and so we all moved to the East Coast to find jobs."
They moved to Miami, Boston and New York, but the pull of the Northwest was too strong. During the next 10 to 15 years, they all moved to Portland, working at different firms.
"We got reacquainted, chatting more and more," said Meyer. "Eventually we ended up working at the same firm and started talking about our emphasis and strengths as architects."
The three started Opsis Architecture in 1999, focusing on themes such as collaboration and sustainability, which were part of the culture at the UO when they were students.
Principals of Opsis Architecture
"The integrated design process was what we hoped to do. Design excellence is one of our core values. At UO, sustainability wasn't at the compromise of design," said Meyer. "There is a passion for what we do. We are not stylists. We are responsive to the site and context of a building."
Being able to design the interior space of the new UO Alumni Center allowed the three alums to use their past to design a building of the future.
"There is an emphasis about the work environment. An emphasis in how the space is organized," said Meyer. "We looked at how daylight comes into the building and how to create individual comfort, while finding new ways for departments to interface with one another.
When the center opens in 2011, it will house the UO Alumni Association, the UO Foundation, UO Office of Development, sections of Public and Government Affairs and the student orientation program. Groundbreaking will take place once all funding is secured.
The facility will be built on top of the underground parking structure adjacent to the new basketball arena. Construction will begin in February 2010.
Meyer said the building represents new progressive thinking about office environments where spaces have been created to maximize the opportunity for dialogue across typically segregated departments. The building includes a raised floor system that provides mechanical services, allowing each user to adjust their own space for heating and cooling comfort. This also results in substantial building energy savings. The building includes a mix of open offices that allow natural daylight and views to be maximized throughout the space. In addition, shared spaces will include common employee areas for gathering and a wide range of conferencing spaces will be able to be reserved through electronic scheduling, allowing the facility to maximize use of the rooms.
In addition to the employee work space, the building will serve as a place for community members and alumni to attend events and learn more about the university. The first floor includes a ballroom and an interactive center that will tell the Oregon story.
"The building represents a 21st century environment for how people work together and integrate with the public," Meyer said. "But it has also been pretty special for us at Opsis, especially as alums to think about the Oregon brand and what it means to alumni and incoming students. It's a complex institution and that's why it's a great institution."
For more information, go to www.uoalumnicenter.com.