SALEM PUBLIC WORKS OPERATIONS BUILDING
Salem, Ore.
BEST PROJECT
KEY PLAYERS
Sent by: Howard S. Wright Construction Co., a Balfour Beatty company
OWNER: Public Works of the City of Salem
LEADING DESIGN COMPANY: hacker
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Howard S. Wright Construction Co., a Balfour Beatty company
CIVIL ENGINEERING: Westech Engineering
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING: KPFF
MEP ENGINEERING: Mazzetti
OWNER’S REPRESENTATIVE: Compass Project Solutions Inc.
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: Earth Workshop
SPECIFICATIONS: m.thrailkill.architect.llc
A two-story, 50,000 square meter massive timber facility replaces a 1950s building, providing modern spaces for various city departments and consolidating four office locations into one.
The $39 million project features a distinctive blue metallic cladding designed to interact with changing daylight. Its purpose-built collaborative workspaces serve as the new headquarters for the city’s public works, engineering, administrative and parks and recreation teams.
Emergency preparedness and response is a critical role for the Salem Parks and Public Works Departments. With the new building’s improved operational efficiency, the city is better able to respond to emergencies such as wildfires, floods and ice storms. This all-electric building is also equipped with solar panels that provide energy for the neighborhood and Oregon’s first local microgrid of its kind.
Photo by Josh Partee
The massive timber frame is exposed throughout the building and is faced with a simple palette of steel tones, along with untreated hot rolled steel, exposed aggregate concrete and seating. Design choices prioritized material durability, climate resilience and human health.
Solid wood products are as porous, prone to staining and warping in wet conditions as their components. Unlike a typical building that would be quickly framed and framed with plasterboard and weather-wrapped to prevent moisture damage, the exposed massive timber structure and even more elaborate aesthetic features were key to to the design of this structure. To ensure the longevity and weather resistance of these components, the team hired a waterproof envelope consultant as soon as possible. Structural and exterior wood was sourced from Oregon, including Freres Engineered Wood solid plywood panels and reclaimed, sustainable juniper siding from eastern Oregon.
Photo by Josh Partee
The mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems were carefully designed with aesthetics in mind. The chases were incorporated directly into the design of the massive plywood paneled roof, allowing the sprinkler and electrical systems to run over the joists instead of under or through them. However, any required beam penetration was coordinated early in the programming process, given the limited flexibility of a massive timber structure for changes during construction. To simplify the process, the timber subcontractor along with the MEP and fire protection partners were brought into the project early in the design. A robust BIM process ensured that overhead utilities did not face up to the pipe hanger and helped identify multiple design revisions that saved time and cost.
Photo by Josh Partee
Extensive coordination at all stages of the project, from planning to design and construction, resulted in a public works building full of raw wood and exposed frame features, with so few points of rework that the ‘team saved time and costs for the customer.
