“The Portland Building: A Collaborative Approach to Revitalizing an Icon”
1 AIA LU Available

The Portland Building was at the forefront of a pivotal moment in architecture. It became an icon of the Postmodern style, while its symbolic color palette and oversized classical ornaments defined a style that became synonymous with Michael Graves.  In spite of these design achievements, the building faced problems with its structure, exterior, and operational systems that repairs alone could not address.

In 2016 the City of Portland contracted with DLR Group and Howard S Wright as a progressive design/build team tasked with reconstructing the Portland Building, while preserving the iconic design and creating an adaptable building that provides a productive work environment for employees and a welcoming space for community members.  

Members of the design/build team (including owner, architect and contractor) will talk about the experience of using this highly collaborative model and how that collaboration contributed to the success of a complex project that was delivered ahead of schedule and under budget.

Kristin Wells

Kristin Wells is a registered architect and has been in project management and development for about 20 years. She served as the City of Portland’s project lead for the Portland Building Reconstruction project and as the interim Facilities Manager. A graduate of the School of Architecture at the University of Arizona, she spent the first 10 years of her career with a focus on affordable housing and community architecture. This focus established her commitment to collaborative owner/architect/contractor relationships and created the foundation for how she led the Portland Building progressive design-build project. Kristin is in her second term on the Oregon State Board of Architect Examiners. 

Todd Miller

Todd Miller is a Vice President of Operations for Howard S. Wright based out of their Portland, OR office and served as the Project Executive in charge of the Design-Build-Relocate team for the Portland Building Reconstruction project. Todd graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a B.S. in Construction Management and a minor in Business Management. In his 25+ year career, he has worked in both the General Contractor and Owner’s Representatives roles in the development, planning and construction of commercial construction projects ranging in size from small ($5M) to large ($800M). He is experienced with Design-Build, Collaborative Project Delivery and CM/GC project delivery methods.

Erica Ceder, AIA

Erica Ceder is a Senior Associate and architect at DLR Group specializing in the restoration and rehabilitation of historic properties. Erica completed her undergraduate degree at Ball State University and a Masters of Architecture at University of Oregon. She has focused the majority of her 22 year career on complex historic renovations and has worked on a variety of properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Erica served as Project Architect on the Portland Building Reconstruction project focusing extensively on the exterior renovation and navigating the historic approval process.