Design in a Dismal Climate
“Gray day. Everything is gray. I watch. But nothing moves today.” – Dr. Seuss It all started when I needed a place to eat my lunch. As a strong believer in the lunch break, I noticed that I had been...
View ArticleCan Interactive Tech Lead to Better Design? Part 1
The traditional design process is being rethought with the introduction of new technologies. But what’s exciting to see is the way digital advances in other industries are influencing the way we think...
View ArticleThe Dollars and Sense of Green Design: A Hospitality Study
At SERA, our work in the hospitality industry focuses on blending design, guest comfort, operational efficiency, and sustainable initiatives. About two years ago, I was talking to someone from a major...
View ArticleLiving Future 2013 is Coming
Mark your calendars, and be sure to say “Hi!” at the upcoming Living Future 2013 event in Seattle, WA: http://living-future.org/unconference2013 The post Living Future 2013 is Coming appeared first on...
View ArticleThe 1% Solution: Revamping the Multnomah Arts Center Gallery
By Gauri Rajbaidya Back in 2010, I performed a musical piece to open the discussion on Arts and Culture in Portland as part of the City’s Portland Plan process. This is where I first met Michael Walsh,...
View ArticleCelebrating Our Sustainable Action by Enhancing Livability
As the thermometer jumps around between the 50 and 90 degree range, the sky fluctuates between skin frying warmth and dress drenching deluges, our minds begin to transcend our daily experiences and...
View ArticleProject Spotlight: Burnside 26
Burnside 26 is located in the heart of Portland’s thriving eastside dining and imbibing hotspots. Within four blocks of this SERA project, patrons at Ken’s Artisan Pizza or Screen Door can be found...
View ArticleProject Spotlight: Argyle Winery Tasting House
This month’s grand opening of the new Argyle Winery Tasting House marks a major update for the 28-year-old winery in Dundee, Oregon. Working with Argyle, SERA set out to create a world-class wine...
View ArticleExtreme Hotel Makeovers: Before & After
When our hospitality studio isn’t designing hotels from the inside out (see: Pearl District Residence Inn, AC Hotel by Marriott and more), they’re helping revitalize existing hotels around the country....
View Article(Dis)Connect
In order to maintain healthy connections in a complex and evolving world, we sometimes have to seek places with characteristics that resemble those of our ancestors from millennia ago. At SERA, we’re...
View ArticleProduct transparency: mindful MATERIALS
Many designers, and their clients, want to know the contents and potential hazards of the products we put into use every day. With today’s nationwide launch of mindful MATERIALS, what we put into our...
View ArticleProject Spotlight: AC Hotel Portland Downtown
Last month, guests were served the first round of tapas and signature cocktails at AC Hotels’ newest property, in downtown Portland, Oregon. Originating in Spain, the brand by Marriott is aimed at...
View ArticleAnyone Can Design in Virtual Reality
In the Pixar movie Ratatouille, Chef Gusteau’s motto was “Anyone can cook.” Food critic Anton Ego initially viewed that sentiment with disdain but eventually came to the conclusion that “Not everyone...
View ArticleImplementing Biophilic Design at Living Future unConference
Join SERA this May for Living Future’s unConference, where we’ll be presenting “Biophilia – from Theory to Culture to Action.” In an ongoing, grassroots effort at SERA, our staff is exploring biophilic...
View ArticleNew & Improved EMU Named Students’ Favorite Place
University of Oregon students picked the Erb Memorial Union as the No. 1 place they feel belonging on campus, and shed light on their favorite spaces in the newly-updated student union building. The...
View ArticleGraphics Bring the City to Storyline
The recently completed Storyline apartments, with its 14 levels, has a gorgeous panoramic view of central Portland. With a dynamic downtown location to inspire the vibe, I was brought onto the project...
View ArticleCatch us at Design Week Portland!
The 8th annual Design Week Portland is next week, and again this year you can find our thinkers and designers in the mix of fantastic exhibits, discussions, parties and open houses across town. We hope...
View ArticleJoint Forces HQ Wins National Design-Build Award
The Major General George White Headquarters in Salem, Oregon, demonstrates that a joint forces building can be seismically safe, secure, sustainable – and award-winning. This month, the Design Build...
View ArticleThe ‘Whys’ Behind Housing Design at SERA
In recent years, SERA’s Housing studio added many new faces to our team, including a new Oakland studio to serve clients in The Bay Area. With new talent and expanded geography, the time felt right to...
View ArticleDesign Through the Lens of Biomimicry
The wisdom of nature and its delicate beauty has long influenced art and design. It changes with the seasons, adapts to sunlight, temperature and rain, and has done so for thousands of years. Nature...
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