Place

Imagine a place where visitors roll up their sleeves, engage in artistic activities, draw, make models, exchange provocative ideas and experience a taste of what drives this collective towards design excellence. An industrial warehouse transformed into a collaborative and creative design studio in Portland, Oregon, PLACE practices a philosophy of people inspired placemaking. Founded in 2010, the studio is committed to landscape architecture, planning, art, and urban design as a gateway to the quality of life worldwide. From simple sketches and 3D renderings to 1:1 scale sculptured models, PLACE explores a spectrum of visual communication strategies during the design process. Using our in-house workshop, designers produce full-scale mock-ups to test physical representations of the final design to study and communicate ideas with clients, committees, and the public. Embracing practices that give back to the planet and benefit the global community, PLACE uses nature as inspiration. Recently assisting with the final design of the Natural Organic Recycling Machine (NORM) for Hassalo on Eighth, a new building development with over 1M sq ft. of new construction near downtown Portland. Much like a wetland, tidal cells and natural processes clean and treat effluent turning the buildings’ waste into reusable water for flushing toilets, irrigating landscape, and cooling towers. PLACE sponsors company-wide civic activities, including the belief that children and adults of all abilities should be able to play and learn together. With $100,000 in-kind assistance from Schematic Design through Construction Administration and As-Builts, marketing and fundraising, PLACE ensured that Harper’s Playground successfully became the first universal playground in Portland. During the last eight years, PLACE’s studio, art gallery, workshop, and mobile workforce served as an incubator for numerous regional community events and projects benefiting from in-kind materials and services by PLACE.