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Principals Joe & Barb at an event supporting Roosevelt High School improvements and redesign.

As part of our commitment to serve the communities in which we work, we are working with Roosevelt High School and committing funds to support increasing the diversity of our profession through a college scholarship program. The goal of this scholarship is to help the architecture profession in Portland to better reflect the communities they serve. According to NCARB by the Numbers, people who identify as Black or Indigenous and are working on licensing is less than 8%, while the US census shows 15% of our country is made up of these races.

Our built environment is better able to serve people if it is designed by a representative cross section of our community. We are starting the scholarship program at Roosevelt High School with a single, one-time scholarship of $1,500. We will be looking to grow this scholarship over time to increase its impact on the scholarship’s goals. Students at Roosevelt will be able to get more information from the school once it is released with the other school-specific scholarships. The challenge is much bigger than we can take on by ourselves, but we are committed to do what we can to drive positive change.

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The museum was originally under the St. Johns Center for Opportunity (SJCO) for its non-profit status. After the reorganization of SJCO in 2020, they determined that it was no longer feasible to maintain the non-profit status of other organizations, and so co-chairs Maria Bubriski and Barb Anderson undertook the effort to create bylaws and to apply to the Department of Justice and the IRS to fulfill the requirements to establish the St Johns Museum as its own 501(c)(3). Once that tax status was established, the museum was able to set up their own bank account with our local credit union.

With these big efforts completed, Maria and Barb are looking to help the organization continue to progress and grow. The organization is currently seeking volunteers to move programs forward, including the following:

• Find funding for a part time director,
• coordinate another sneak peek museum day,
• fill board positions (Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, At-Large, etc. are available),
• ongoing bookkeeping,
• prepare the 2021 tax filing,
• and more!

If you have an area of expertise or interest, there is likely a place for you! Contact stjohnsmuseum@gmail.com for more information.

If you don’t have time to volunteer, but you would like to contribute to the museum, please consider making a donation. In addition to wanting to establish a permanent home for the museum, there are museum expenses like paying for the website that are recurring and need funding. Please consider joining Convergence in supporting the St. Johns Museum by making a gift of $25, $50, $100, $250 or any amount that is meaningful to you. You can send a check made payable to:

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Written by Joseph Purkey

Houselessness is a Problem for Everyone

Many communities are being confronted with rising houselessness* these days and transitional housing** is a key piece of the solution. Once someone gets to the point where they are living on the street it becomes a monumental task to get back into housing. Once you are living in your car or a tent, showers and healthy, refrigerated foods are a luxury. If you don’t have easy access to food and a shower it is harder to hold down a job. That’s not to mention the fact that if you don’t have a safe place to store your possessions they might not even be there when you get back if you go to get food or work a shift. This is all to say, houselessness is not going away on its own. Transitional housing, like the St Johns Village, meets the needs of having a safe, secure, and supported place to live while people get reintegrated into society.

* “Houseless” is the preferred term instead of “homeless” because a person can choose to make a home anywhere, but when we use these terms we are typically talking about people without a structure (house) to live in that is officially deemed habitable.

** There are three main types of supportive housing to address houselessness: 1) Temporary Shelter, where the main goals are to provide safety, security, and support; 2) Transitional Housing, where the focus is on support services back into standard housing, financial sustainability, and community living, coordinated through a case manager; and 3) Permanent Supportive Housing, where the focus is on independent living and less intense support from case managers.

The SJV and Convergence Origin Story

We were happy to see the success of the Kenton Womens’ Village in the nearby Kenton neighborhood, as well as the Clackamas County Veterans’ Village, so when we heard about the Joint Office of Homeless Services (JOHS) working with Do Good Multnomah and looking to build a similar village in our neighborhood of St Johns we got engaged right away. Back in 2018, we joined the St Johns Village Coalition, which was led by JOHS and included people who were currently houseless, where we explored what was needed here and worked together to introduce the idea to the neighborhood. We helped organize and hosted a table at the St Johns Village Fair early in 2019 to start getting neighbors informed about the issues and proposed solutions.

When a site lease was finally secured for the Village, we again reached out to JOHS to offer pro bono design services for the effort. The Homebuilders Foundation was already on the project, so we got to work with their team for the second time on a pro bono project (our first was for Hope House). We also pulled together a team of pro bono subconsultants, with Rachel Hill Landscape Architect and WCL Engineering, both in St Johns, and PAE Engineers. The site is just two blocks from our office and our St Johns team was excited to be a part of making this housing a reality.

People First Design

Our design process was informed by the input and experiences of several neighbors who were houseless, like the need for privacy and independence, which we accommodated with staggered sleeping pod doors and space for growing. We also used lessons learned from the two other transitional housing villages in Oregon at the time, and, of course, our own design experience working with clients with all different types of needs and perspectives. There is so much of being houseless that puts people outside of society’s rules and expectations that it becomes dehumanizing. One of the roles of transitional housing is to provide dignity and a source of pride to the residents moving off the streets as one aspect of reclaiming their sense of self-worth.

The sleeping pods were built offsite from a design by students in Portland State University’s Center for Public Interest Design, with only minimal changes due to lessons learned from the other existing villages. The site was laid out to incorporate biophilic design. We told Rachel Hill early on that much of the success of the site would depend on how much she could incorporate plants seamlessly throughout and she did just that, filling the site with vegetation that is already growing quickly. The common building was programmed using the facilities at the Veterans’ Village as a model. We were able to use modular construction at the St Johns Village, which allowed us to incorporate trauma informed design in the layout and make the building feel much larger than the Veterans’ Village buildings, even while reducing the size by more than 15%.

We ended up providing design services equivalent to around 8% of our annual income through our pro bono efforts, with many weekends and holidays spent ensuring the project was a success. Thinking about all the people who were going to get off the street with this development made it all worth it. As a matter of fact, just recently we had the pleasure of being with a houseless neighbor we’ve known for years when he  found out that there was space for him at the St Johns Village and he would not be sleeping outside for the first time in over four years. He had been living outside our office off and on for the two years we were involved in getting the Village built. Getting to see such a direct impact of our efforts by rousing him from sleeping in the rain to bring him to a warm, dry home was more than we ever imagined. There are still so many who are still struggling to survive the streets and there is much more work to do, but it’s nice to remember also that every single person that gets off the street is a huge deal and something to be celebrated.

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The Portland Building.

Such an iconic a building that it is named after our city. It’s not the Graves Building, the Postmodern Building, or even the Portlandia Building… it is The Portland Building. Over the years, nearly 30 since it was first unveiled and occupied, there have been numerous articles and discussions around this landmark. Love it or loathe it, the style is completely unique, and it is a flagship in the seas of architectural history.

How did the building come to be?

Back in 1979, Michael Graves won a design competition to create one of America’s first major works of Postmodern architecture. There were references to and exaggerations of historical elements, prominent decorative flourishes abound – columns, keystones, and garland. The color palette stood in stark contrast to the more common grey cityscape of concrete, colors that delighted as often as they offended; teal, salmon, and cream being the most dominate tones.

In 1982 the Portland Building opened, with the addition of the Portlandia statue, and quickly became an architectural icon. In May 1983, the building won an American Institute of Architects honor award. However, the honeymoon phase was brief. Shortly after opening, structural flaws began to rear themselves, from dark work areas, to drafts, and a notoriously leaky facade. By 1990, there was already a remodel underway. Many began to call for the building to be demolished and replaced. In October of 2009, Travel + Leisure magazine called the Portland Building “one of the most hated buildings in America”. However, in 2011, local preservation architect Peter Meijer successfully petitioned for the building to be added to the National Register of Historic places. Even so, while the building had been officially recognized and registered, by 2014 there was still serious consideration by City officials for the building to be demolished. Preservation prevailed and by 2016 there was a multi-million-dollar renovation underway. It was to be a full and thorough overhaul to maintain the historical relevance of the building, and our city of Portland skyline, while also creating a public building that would be seismically upgraded, and free of those years-long ever persistent leak issues, and a healthier work environment in general. The project outlined improvements to the efficiency and functionality of the workplace, including replacing drafts and dark shadows with light filled and comfortable spaces in each of the 15 stories, along with other mechanical, electrical, and plumbing system upgrades.

In 2016, Convergence Architecture was by all accounts, still a new architecture firm.

With a staff of five, we were only seven years into business, and so we were elated to join the Portland Building Reconstruction Project alongside such heavyweights as DLR Group and Howard S. Wright Construction, among others. The project was a progressive design-build effort, with many in doubt and disbelief from the onset, however the team prevailed in executing an update that, when previewed in Autumn 2019, wowed audiences and exceeded expectations. The project wrapped a year earlier than expected, and under-budget, without sacrificing any of the project goals. In fact, through the DLR design process many figurative and literal walls between city bureaus were broken down, making way for better collaboration and efficiency within city government. As anyone in design or construction can tell you, creating a perfect balance of on time, on budget, and well-built is nearly impossible. Our team fully integrated with the larger team, working directly and collaboratively with the architect of record and contractor to deliver a successful project for the City of Portland. It is with great pride that we can include The Portland Building in our project portfolio.

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It is commonly understood that architects design buildings, but architects are also often involved al the way through construction to evaluate contractor suggestions, answer questions, and ensure the project is ultimately successful.
Convergence was recently involved with the completion  of the TriMet Powell Fuel and Wash Building in Portland, Oregon.  The building completion process started in March and finished in late April of 2020, this process was complicated by the larger issue of a global pandemic during this time.

First, a note about site work during COVID-19. Given that respiratory global pandemics have not been common in recent history, the policies have been evolving to protect those working on site and prevent infection. Upon arrival at the site, all workers and visitors are required to report to a check-in tent staffed by medical personnel who ask questions regarding symptoms and contact with people who have COVID-19, and then a contactless temperature is taken. Those who have completed this process have a sticker with the date to put onto their hard-hat. Additionally, a minimum of six feet spacing between all people is required, and masks are required on site at all times.

The process to turn the building over to the owner began toward the end of construction. Lists were made by our design team, including our design consultants, of items needing attention before the owner would take possession. This view from early April shows that most items were installed. Masking for painting is apparent toward the back wall. Generally, a punchlist process is initiated to find small items such as paint scuffs or items needing adjustment.

Another aspect of turning over a building to an owner is to commission, or ensure the building systems operate per the owner’s requirements. One detail of this, for our Fuel and Wash building, was to test the fueling system.

Another system tested specific to this type of building was the Bus Wash system. There are several features to look at with a system this specific, such as the pressure and flow of water, the cleanliness of the buses, and the compatability of the wash racks with the buses to be cleaned. The brushes that clean the front of the bus, for example, are designed not to entangle the bicycle racks that are on the front of all TriMet buses.

The exterior of the Fuel and Wash building, including metal wall panels, block wall signage, lighting, and other components were all reviewed. Working with the contractor, remaining items were addressed.

The completed building, as viewed from the northeast, shows the completed project ready to use after involvement by Convergence from building concept to programming through the design, permitting, construction, and turnover phases.

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Phase I of the Main Building is underway. Once that is completed and turned over to TriMet, demolition of TriMet’s current operations and maintenance facility will occur, making way for Phase II in which the second half of the Main Building will be built, and the bus storage yard and employee parking areas will continue.

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The research and use of mycelium to replace petroleum products is on! Convergence Architecture thought it would be fun to see how this stuff works so we bought a bag of inoculated substrate from Ecovative, a US company helping to research and develop mycelium products. The substrate is basically a bag of what looks like plant fiber with mycelium spores waiting to be fed and woken up to grow. 

Step 1: Shake. 

First, everything must be super sterile, including your hands, to avoid any contaminants getting into the bag of substrate. Simple things like dust and airborne molds can take hold and grow, ruining your batch of mycelium. The substrate comes in a plastic bag which I find a little ironic given we are trying to avoid plastic in this process, but let’s move on, as I continued the project anyways. To start, we need to moisten and feed the mycelium. This is just a mixture of flour and water. Here you will see that we also decided to experiment, and added green food coloring to our water. The color in the end will be much more muted so keep this in mind when playing with color and how much food coloring to use. Once everything is added to the bag, it is shaken until fully incorporated throughout. Now we are finished for the time being, as this needs to be set aside in a safe place and allowed to grow for 5 days.

Step 2: Form. 

Again, everything must be super sterile for the handling and forming of our mycelium lampshade. Now that we have a bag of mycelium growth on our substrate we can crumble and pack it in a form. The crumbling actually stresses the mycelium and motivates it to grow more. It is like when we are working out, we stress and tear our muscles stimulating them to grow bigger and stronger. Once packed well into the form it is covered and again set aside to grow for another 5 days. 

For our form we used two stacking metal salad bowls and a small tree round saved from the christmas tree end cut to space the form and become the top part of our lampshade. The mycelium will attach to organic material so I had the idea to use wood as a spacer knowing it would act not just as a spacer for the form but also become part of the shade itself. So cool. A hole was drilled between all three pieces and bolted tight to hold all together. 

Step 3: Bake.

Now we are ready to release our lampshade from the form. I found that the mycelium did take hold of the wooden round and it also stuck a little to the stainless steel of the bowl. This made it a little cumbersome to get it to release and there were some minor stress cracks in the shade. This is something to think about and address the next time we use this formwork. We let the lampshade sit out in a well ventilated space for a couple of days, and used of a fan as well to aid in drying. The mycelium continues to grow some as it air dries and it was able to mend its stress cracks, although they are still visible and a good reminder of our first trial using this material. Finally, the shade is baked at a low temperature to stop the spore growth and finalize the process.

Final thoughts: The first trial was a success! I hope to give this a second trial soon… in the meantime, we’ll be wiring these up as lamps and hope to incorporate them into our new office space.

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Convergence Architecture has a vision to provide quality architectural services to all levels of clients, including those not normally served by architects. One choice that the principals made was that each month, every employee is allotted 8 hours of paid time for pro bono projects in the community. Not only does this benefit our community, but it helps to keep projects fresh and it gives staff the opportunity to engage with different stakeholders and organizations that might not otherwise come through our office. In fact, some of the pro bono projects aren’t in the office at all! You can find staff members on a build site constructing a home with Habitat for Humanity, or removing asphalt from a playground with Depave volunteers, or presenting historic mementos at a St Johns Museum event.

We recently took a moment to dig deeper and found that employees averaged 59 pro bono hours in 2018. Since we’re a staff of ten, that means that on the whole, we had just over 590 total company pro bono hours in 2018; that is over 590 hours where clients weren’t billed for our time, allowing these local non-profits to worry a little less about their bottom lines and a little more about getting their wonderful work done. It is worth mentioning that these hours don’t account for time that our staff members are volunteering without tracking pro bono hours… so we can say with confidence that our impact is even greater than what we can track.

Ultimately, we know that we can’t be who we are without the support of our community, so we pay it forward by supporting others. There are several organizations that we regularly work with and help through our pro bono efforts: The St Johns Museum, local PTAs, the St Johns Bizarre, The St Johns Center for Opportunity, Habitat for Humanity, Depave, and many others. We see the pro bono hours as an important part of our company values & culture, and we’re consistently looking for additional ways to expand our positive impact on our little corner of the world.

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