Voices of Design Leadership. Ken Sanders

don’t think we necessarily have a style, but we have attributes and foundations of design that we try to infuse in every project. We take a lot of pride in how materials come together and how the design is expressed through the craft of construction.

      So those two projects are really special. And, of course, the PDX airport is a chance of a lifetime. There’s a lot of pressure to get it right, but we’re designing with intention that this building and experience are for everybody in the community. It’s not for us, it’s not for the Port, it’s everybody’s building.

      KS: You mentioned three projects: a complex airport renovation; a children’s hospital; a law firm headquarters. All very different project types and scales. Yet there’s a commitment to design excellence and craft in each of those. A wonderful dimension of ZGF’s practice is the diversity of projects to which you bring that intention.

      SVDM: You know, I learned this lesson from Greg Baldwin.¹ You remember Greg. He taught me that if you’re a good designer, you can design at any scale. And that’s a really powerful statement. You shouldn’t be afraid to work on urban planning, design furniture, or work on an exterior skin – and I’ve had a chance to explore all those scales of design during my career.

      Stoel Rives Headquarters

Client:	Stoel Rives
Architects:	ZGF Architects
Location:	Portland, Oregon, USA
Size:	120,000 square feet | 11,150 square meters
Completion Date:	2016

       Photo Credit: Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing

The headquarters of the law firm Stoel Rives occupies the top nine floors of Park Avenue West in downtown Portland. In contrast to the firm’s former enclosed space, the new office is warm, open, and transparent. The five floors of attorney offices include amenity lounges with interconnecting stairs to enhance interaction and facilitate collaboration.

      A company with deep roots in the Pacific Northwest, Stoel Rives sought a sustainable workplace with connections to its history. Reclaimed oak floors and Douglas fir walls reference the firm’s original timber company clients. The custom conference tables, crafted by local artisans, are constructed of Oregon white oak planks over origami-shaped black metal bases.

      The two-story reception and conference center offers dramatic views of the city, river, and mountains beyond. The reception walls showcase the firm’s extensive art collection and its long history of supporting local artists. The project achieved LEED Platinum for Commercial Interiors and Four Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors.

I give a lot of credit to the ZGF culture, because we don’t tend to put people in a box and say, “do this thing and only this because you’re really good at it.” There are no real rules about engagement. If you have an interest in a certain area of design, then go for it. We’re not going to hold you back. We’re going to encourage you and support that effort.

      KS: Sharron, the last time I saw you in person was at Bob Frasca’s memorial service a few years ago. Can you talk a little bit about working with Bob? What did you learn from him?

      SVDM: Sure. We could talk an entire hour on Bob Frasca, I learned so much from him over the years. I think I was in my mid-twenties when I started working side-by-side with him. Bob was so great because when he was working on a project, he would call a project meeting and he wouldn’t start until all the players were there. He had to have interiors represented, technical design and the project manager present before he started. He had respect and genuinely wanted to hear people’s thoughts, but he was also efficient, and wanted to ensure that everyone knew the path forward.

      He tackled any design problem or issue from a very holistic view. And he really wanted to understand, from everyone’s perspective, if something was going in the right direction. Ultimately, he made the call, but he was a very good listener and collaborator.

      I remember working for months with him on a specific project, the Oregon Historical Society. We were getting ready for a big presentation, and he told me that I would be delivering the interior design concepts to the directors. I didn’t know how to make a presentation at that time. Honestly, I was maybe 25 and wondering, “What is he thinking?”

      It’s not something that anyone teaches you how to do. Luckily now, in school, you are given more instruction about how to carry yourself, how to deliver a good story, the cadence at which you speak. But I didn’t know that, nor did I know enough to ask for assistance. We arrived and obviously I was really nervous. I started talking and I was having an out of body experience. I was talking so fast that no one could understand what I was saying because I was just trying to get through it as fast as I could and get off the stage.

      Thomas Vaughan was the Director of the Oregon Historical Society for many years. I don’t know if you ever met him when you were in Portland, but he commanded a very strong presence; he was an older gentleman, and when he came into a room, he controlled that room. Big bushy eyebrows, booming voice. I was instantly intimidated.

      And then he stopped me in the middle of my presentation and asked me if I wouldn’t mind slowing down a bit so that he could understand what I was saying. (laughing) My God. He said it very politely, he was so formal. And I remember having a completely cringing moment. I was looking for Bob; he was sitting in the back. He looked up at me, and without giving me the thumbs up, he gave me the thumbs up with his expression. “You got this, GO.”

      That was a real gift. He wasn’t worried about me. He wasn’t worried about what the client thought. He knew that it was a learning experience, and he was going to allow me to have that experience, rather than try to control the situation and try to save me. He just let me learn. And that’s a testament to his greatness, for sure.

      Bob also taught everyone he worked with, and everyone he came in contact with, that you need to stay humble. I remember one of the things he would say from time to time is “don’t fall in love with your own press clippings.” That’s all about staying modest. And I’m so glad to hear other people saying this in the office now, these little phrases and idioms are continuing the culture.

      KS: What’s ahead for ZGF? When you look out the next three, five, ten years, where do you think the firm is heading?

      SVDM: This is such a great question. ZGF has such an important history and legacy. And maybe I’m slightly biased because I’ve been here for a long time, but I also think, Ken, that we are just getting started. I feel like there is this renewed energy and I feel like we’re at this crossroads of something transformative. I don’t know exactly what or how this came about, it could be that it’s just the right time for us. There are a lot of things that are changing in our world right now, so I think that you have to look at those outside influences for sure. We also think that our inside influences have changed in terms of our partnership makeup.

For example, we’ve always been a firm that is committed to sustainability, and I think, with the perils of climate change, that will continue to get stronger. I just toured our first Living Building in Portland. It’s remarkable and so inspiring and I think we’re going to continue to be motivated by projects like that. Everything is moving towards restorative design.

      KS: You are well positioned for that.

      SVDM: I think we are. As many things have changed, I believe our core drivers are just going to be amplified as we move forward in the future. There’s this huge acknowledgement of technology that’s going to continue to change our profession, and we are embracing that more than ever. Plus, everything that we do has to be through this very intentional lens on equity. And like I said before, we need to really serve our communities. But I think our overall focus remains on design excellence. It’s the same, but it’s different – it’s more amplified.

      KS: