Modern offices meet industrial aesthetics

OEG, founded in 1947, is one of the largest electrical contracting companies in the Northwest, specializing in mission critical, health care, commercial, high tech, industrial and institutional markets.

As OEG continues to grow, more office space was required, forcing the decision to move to a larger building. Their new space, a stand-alone, 32,000-square-foot building, was slightly larger than their existing space, requiring thoughtful design to house more employees.

That’s when SUM Design Studio + architecture came into the picture. 

We designed a modern open office that still retained some of the privacy of the traditional private office layout, while providing workstations with direct views of windows, views of Portland’s West Hills, and access to daylight. SUM designed the new space so that every separate department had a collaborative space in the open office areas, including multiple conference rooms of varying sizes on each floor.

Aesthetically, the client wanted an industrial space, but wasn’t willing to sacrifice office comforts and acoustics. We exposed the existing industrial building as much as possible while providing acoustical solutions and respecting the needs of a multi-disciplinary office.

Using primarily birch, concrete, glass and steel, and utilizing felt acoustical treatments and solid surface casework, we successfully completed the job in June 2019. 

Our Partners
Developer: Sandahl Pacific Investments
Completion date: 06/01/2019
Contractors: Pacific Crest Structures, Inc.
Other partners: Nishkian Dean Structural Engineers
Photography: Josh Partee 

Helping an Oregon city blossom

Downtown Estacada.

We’ve done work in the financial field, the brewing industry, residential and commercial spaces and now we can add community building (literally). 

Over the course of most of 2019 we’ve been working with the City of Estacada’s economic development and downtown revitalization team to help transform a dusty 1938 building into one that will be renovated into a modern space to help revitalize a main street. 

Using historical photography, it was discovered that the Broadway Building had a somewhat dubious addition to it in the 60s or 70s—a common theme it seems. The goal will be to restore the facade of the building, take a historically incongruent facade on Fourth Avenue and bring it into alignment with the downtown and with the building that it's attached to.

Our goal with the Broadway Building: restore the facade of the building, take a historically incongruent facade on Fourth Avenue and bring it into alignment with the downtown and with the building that it's attached to.

SUM is also doing an awning replacement, taking off all of a failed stucco system, exposing the substructure, and then re-stuccoing the facade. By scaling back the existing two facades and breaking up the canopy line, keeping them at a consistent height, and adding more glass into the center space, we're actually gaining an additional retail space.

Though the building will have a bit more modern touch, using a steel canopy, with all new window systems, the old character of the building will remain, this time around with newer amenities.

The Broadway Building is just one project out of many helping to contribute to downtown Estacada’s revitalization and we couldn’t be more pleased to be helping the city shine.

The old character of the building will remain, as well as the newer mural, with newer amenities.

One For The Books: Sauvie Island School

Last year we unveiled one of our new projects:  The Joyce Miller Owens Annex at Sauvie Island School. We’re excited to show off the project thanks to photos by Josh Partee. 

The contemporary building lines with 21st century technology to integrate with the existing structure, meaning kids can interact, get immersed in and excited about learning. 

The 3,128 square foot building is wood framed and sided with James Hardie siding (which, cool fact: was donated). 

To help improve learning, we incorporated natural daylight (daylighting increases overall learning), designed for connections to the outdoors with attention to acoustics, circulation, and function. We built classroom additions and a science lab for the middle school while echoing the existing school and its architecture. This was all done under a very tight budget. 

SUM in the News: Dwell

A solid way to end the year? How about a profile of Matt Loosemore, our principal and co-founder, and his own Portland home in Dwell?

 The genesis behind the remodel was the need for an upstairs bathroom in the 1949 Cape Cod home, where Matt, his wife Monica and two children have lived for 20 years. Matt kept sketching (and then kept sketching and sketching) and from there the project morphed into a whole new home. Here’s a blurb from the article in Dwell that walks the reader through the process:

 Says Loosemore, "We designed it to accommodate friends," which was also the impetus for remodeling versus moving to a new home. They were the youngest family when they arrived in 1999. "Our neighborhood became our best friends."

 To read the whole piece, go here.

SUM in the News: Propmodo

Eric Hoffman, principal and co-founder, wrote a great piece for Propmodo on open offices, workstations, and how good design can help make even the gloomiest workspaces come alive. Here’s a nugget from his post:

People want to be able to feel like they have ownership in a project—and be in an environment where they can talk and joke with peers and not worry about being penalized for it. Don’t let the words “open office” cause anxiety. There are numerous ways to still have plenty of light, privacy, and room to breathe, even in a space were the staff work in workstations. Good design ensures this.

 To read the whole piece, go here.

New project in the works: Clackamas County Bank

SUM is ready to roll out a new project this fall.

After meetings with the client, meetings with the community, and a design review with the City of Gresham, we’re ready to break ground on the newest branch of Clackamas County Bank in Gresham, Oregon.

Ironically, the site was a former bank back in the day, then a TCBY (remember them?) and now, when built, will be a 9,500 SF, two-story bank branch with drive-thru facilities, 26 new parking spaces in a surface parking lot, and two short-term bicycle spaces located outside the building, with associated site improvements.  

The new branch, with four existing branches already in Welches, Boring, Gresham (to be closed), and Sandy, will be comprised of a main floor with the main branch area, as well as offices and support spaces. The second floor will contain loan offices and—this is cool—a community room where local organizations can gather for meetings and events. It’s a nice touch and makes the space one the community can use and genuinely benefit from.  

Off to the side of the community room, visitors will be able to enjoy a large outdoor fireplace during our cold, rainy months. Rainwater will be gathered over the entry canopy and flow down the face of the building in an open downspout manner so that visitors can actually see the water going into the rain garden (another enhancement we proposed and are thrilled to have make it to the final design).

Aesthetically, the new bank will use interesting exterior materials. Cladded with 80% brick, light gray and dark gray, the branch will include natural wood and natural Loon Lake stone. Overall the new look will complement the culture of the bank: a warm, inviting place that offers a professional but very personal atmosphere for its customers.

Clackamas County Bank represents the latest in a portfolio of financial institution projects. Watch for updates on our blog during construction and completion.