That's a striking interior by all means! I was interested in figures for durability and resistance in the event of natural disasters, and it seems like this is taken care of: According to a...
That's a striking interior by all means! I was interested in figures for durability and resistance in the event of natural disasters, and it seems like this is taken care of:
According to a different article, the terminal was built to withstand a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, which certainly inspires confidence! The new construction will also reduce energy use by 50%, according to the same article
And according to yet another article on the subject of mass timber construction, lifespan can be estimated to be in the order of a 100 years (or more, with adequate moisture-preventing measures).
I sure hope to see more mass timber in future buildings, not only for the ecological aspects of it, but also because it lends itself to a grandiose-but-cozy look! This reminds me of fancy hotel interiors in 70s Yugoslavia.
I got to travel through there about a week after its grand opening. They had someone playing jazz on the piano in the atrium. Definitely one of the best airports I've visited.
I got to travel through there about a week after its grand opening. They had someone playing jazz on the piano in the atrium. Definitely one of the best airports I've visited.
Nationwide architecture firm ZGF implemented glulam (glue laminated) Douglas Fir for this massive nine-acre canopy, not only as an innovative and sustainable solution but also as a nod to local ecology and deeply-rooted cultural traditions. It’s a far cry from the standard glass and steel found at any other airport around the globe. The surrounding region is known for its dense old growth forests and thriving lumber trade. Most of the 3.5 million planks implemented in the project were sourced from smaller family operated and sustainably minded purveyors, as well as indigenous nations, based within a 300-mile radius; accounting for a notable reduction in the new building’s embodied carbon footprint.
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The largest mass timber building of its kind, Portland Airport’s new main terminal raises the bar in site-responsive and sustainable airport design but also non-disruptive expansion. For the redevelopment of Chicago O’Hare Airport, noted architecture firm Studio Gang is taking a similar approach. The next phase of the PDX mass timber transportation is set for completion in 2026.
I was just there a few weeks ago visiting family, heard from some locals that the company had pulled out some of the famous carpet and it caused quite an uproar, such that they found a fabric...
I was just there a few weeks ago visiting family, heard from some locals that the company had pulled out some of the famous carpet and it caused quite an uproar, such that they found a fabric printer to recreate it.
Not sure if that was during the construction of the timber terminal or a different renovation, but thought it was a funny bit of Portland trivia I didn't know
I've never really understood the fascination with that carpet design. It seems like a pretty unremarkable mid-20th-century pattern to me. It's so unremarkable in fact that I can't recall it ever...
I've never really understood the fascination with that carpet design. It seems like a pretty unremarkable mid-20th-century pattern to me. It's so unremarkable in fact that I can't recall it ever being mentioned as a thing until about a decade ago, when some of it got removed in a design refresh (that's probably what you're thinking of, sparkle). Suddenly you'd see mousepads, parkas, vinyl decals and all sorts of junk with the pattern all over town.
Yeah, that sounds about right. Most of my family is from Portland and they'd never mentioned the carpet before and we've all flown in and out of PDX many times over the years. Though we did have...
Yeah, that sounds about right. Most of my family is from Portland and they'd never mentioned the carpet before and we've all flown in and out of PDX many times over the years. Though we did have quite a lull from about 2005-2015 (when my grandfather was having some health issues) so if it reached peak during then, definitely would have missed it lol
Funnily enough, I remember when this happened and was also mildly upset about it. I agree with it being a completely unremarkable pattern, but once I didn't see it it felt really jarring. Maybe...
Funnily enough, I remember when this happened and was also mildly upset about it. I agree with it being a completely unremarkable pattern, but once I didn't see it it felt really jarring. Maybe there's a term for it, but I'm glad they managed to put it back and I thought it was fun that the Portland community found something to hold on their own besides the "weird"/hipster culture though I'm sure this got folded into that.
I never really spent enough time in the airport itself to form any kind of attachment. As for the weirdo hipster culture thing, I kinda feel like that was never really understood by the ones who...
I never really spent enough time in the airport itself to form any kind of attachment.
As for the weirdo hipster culture thing, I kinda feel like that was never really understood by the ones who made hay out of it. The weird/hipster culture thing always seemed to me to be tied up with the craft-foodie thing that was happening in the aughts. I'm of that late-X, early-Millennial cohort that was into things like making soap to sell at Saturday Market (I actually had good friends who did exactly that), distilling shine at home just for the fun of it (same friends), and going to strip clubs for the craft beer and criminally under-priced steak (if you know, you know).
It was never about being "weird" with me and my homies, but about finding good things all around us that everyone else in the world overlooked because they were in too deep into the consumer culture. Sure, there were weirdos, but they weren't valued for their weirdness, but because they partook of that rejection of consumerism, and often contributed greatly to the appreciation of the good life.
Maybe that's just my experience of Portland, though.
Thanks for the comment and sharing your experience with living there. I grew up outside of Portland proper as part of the younger millennial group, and a lot of my experiences with the whole...
Thanks for the comment and sharing your experience with living there.
I grew up outside of Portland proper as part of the younger millennial group, and a lot of my experiences with the whole "weird" movement was when it found myself visiting the city proper. I didn't mind it when I did visit, there was usually someone doing something interesting, and it was rare that I ran into someone being a nuisance. I also didn't spend enough time in Portland itself to really care about it that much while I was growing up, my main reason for wanting to go downtown then was for Powell's Books.
Now I think any negative association I have with it now is due to some of the people who I grew up with/went to school for years that moved into Portland proper and made the whole "weird" thing a big part of their identity and became ever more involved in the progressive politics that Portland is known. One of my best friends decided to go to PSU while I went to OSU. We still played games occasionally, and I even played DnD with his group occasionally as a sort of guest character (wandering illiterate half-orc barbarian). In casual conversation at the gaming table, his new girlfriend (who was very much into the aforementioned weird culture) found out I was a member of a fraternity, and it was like a switch was flipped, and her entire attitude changed towards me. Eventually he stopped talking to myself and another of my best friend. We pieced it together that he stopped talking to us bother right around the time she learned about us being in the same fraternity (she also played games with us and my other best friend mentioned it to her while gaming shortly after I had mentioned it). After he married his then girlfriend, I ended up needing to reach out to his brother who still talks to us to organize me dropping off his things I still had and get back the stuff I had lent him. He wouldn't even come to the door while I was there to gave it to me himself, which sucked.
Obviously total anecdotal experience shared above, but I know other people who've made the weird movement a big part of their identity and have changed a lot after moving there and now treat me differently. People change, life moves on, I know I'm a lot different than I was years ago. Just gives me personal not happy feelings since I still miss my old best friend and the relationship we had.
That's an odd thing to sever ties with someone about, particularly if you're close. I also took off for Eugene right about the time that whole scene blew up, so I can really only speak to that...
That's an odd thing to sever ties with someone about, particularly if you're close.
I also took off for Eugene right about the time that whole scene blew up, so I can really only speak to that time before it became a known thing. The people my age and a little older were more about loud music, good food and beer, and copious weed–among other things. Heavily tatted and pierced before it hit mainstream. Shopping thrift stores because it was what they could afford, not because it was the done thing. They were the scene the later weirdos were hoping to find in Stumptown, but then bougied up into a farce.
Like I said, in my opinion the people who ended up making the most hay out of Portland being a haven for weirdos never really understood what the Portland vibe was about, but I guess that gets into No True Scotsman territory, so I'll leave off my old man ramblings for now.
I agree, it felt ironic in that she was very vocal about avoiding stereotypes for people, but apparently bought into all the negative stereotypes about people who are members of a college...
I agree, it felt ironic in that she was very vocal about avoiding stereotypes for people, but apparently bought into all the negative stereotypes about people who are members of a college fraternity based on what my old friend's brother told me.
I'll say that I appreciate your ramblings, as it gives me insight into a part of my hometown's history that I have little exposure to outside how people now interpret Portland. I was very close to moving to Eugene myself as my brother went to school at U of O. Ended up having almost all of my friends go to OSU and I liked the campus more.
The thing people often leave out of narratives like "keep Portland weird" is that the weirdness grows organically from cheap rents and proximity to opportunities to make a living doing weird shit....
The thing people often leave out of narratives like "keep Portland weird" is that the weirdness grows organically from cheap rents and proximity to opportunities to make a living doing weird shit. Once an area makes a name for itself with those, people willing to pay for atmosphere move in and price out the kooky types who were only there because they could afford to rent an attic room on buskers' pay. After that it's all cosplay.
Side note: Building commercial buildings with wood for environmental reasons is becoming pretty popular. I'm not even going to try and explain the reasoning because it's not my expertise, but I...
Side note: Building commercial buildings with wood for environmental reasons is becoming pretty popular. I'm not even going to try and explain the reasoning because it's not my expertise, but I will link a video from Matt Risinger: https://youtu.be/2rN-HqSoVBY?si=x0RUm1VINPLUJySu
I'm planning to visit some family in Portland sometime soon and it'll be cool to see the changes. I've not been inside PDX in years which was one of those "wow time flies and I'm feeling older"...
I'm planning to visit some family in Portland sometime soon and it'll be cool to see the changes. I've not been inside PDX in years which was one of those "wow time flies and I'm feeling older" moments. I always felt the airport was laid out well and never had any hassles with traveling through there in the past.
I'm starting to think that this sort of thing - greenspace - is a mistake. Any time there's a bunch of trees indoors, the obvious prerequisite is that there is space for a bunch of trees indoors,...
the bringing of nature indoors as a means of fostering a better sense of well-being – can be found throughout.
I'm starting to think that this sort of thing - greenspace - is a mistake. Any time there's a bunch of trees indoors, the obvious prerequisite is that there is space for a bunch of trees indoors, which means the place is too big, and should instead be shrunk down, so it's more human-scale.
When the space needs to be big enough to handle thousands of humans simultaneously, it needs to be big. If it's big and the ceilings are low, it feels claustrophobic and airflow becomes a...
When the space needs to be big enough to handle thousands of humans simultaneously, it needs to be big. If it's big and the ceilings are low, it feels claustrophobic and airflow becomes a challenge. So the ceilings need to be tall. And once it's tall, trees are a pleasant addition, in that they look nice and provide a visual variation.
How would you shrink an airport terminal down to a human scale?
Having been there, my main takeaway was that it was a place for people. It feels warm and welcoming and even cozy - not words I usually associate with modern air travel.
Having been there, my main takeaway was that it was a place for people. It feels warm and welcoming and even cozy - not words I usually associate with modern air travel.
It reminds me of a pedestrian street. That is, it's an outdoor look, except there's a roof. It seems like the right scale for that sort of thing? Contrast with airports in Hawaii where you...
It reminds me of a pedestrian street. That is, it's an outdoor look, except there's a roof. It seems like the right scale for that sort of thing?
Contrast with airports in Hawaii where you actually are outside.
That's a striking interior by all means! I was interested in figures for durability and resistance in the event of natural disasters, and it seems like this is taken care of:
According to a different article, the terminal was built to withstand a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, which certainly inspires confidence! The new construction will also reduce energy use by 50%, according to the same article
And according to yet another article on the subject of mass timber construction, lifespan can be estimated to be in the order of a 100 years (or more, with adequate moisture-preventing measures).
I sure hope to see more mass timber in future buildings, not only for the ecological aspects of it, but also because it lends itself to a grandiose-but-cozy look! This reminds me of fancy hotel interiors in 70s Yugoslavia.
I work a couple miles away from that airport. Never thought I would want to go visit but now I do. That setup is beautiful.
I got to travel through there about a week after its grand opening. They had someone playing jazz on the piano in the atrium. Definitely one of the best airports I've visited.
From the article:
…
It's one of the most impressive experiences I've had with architecture in memory. Honestly took my breath away the first time I was in there!
I was just there a few weeks ago visiting family, heard from some locals that the company had pulled out some of the famous carpet and it caused quite an uproar, such that they found a fabric printer to recreate it.
Not sure if that was during the construction of the timber terminal or a different renovation, but thought it was a funny bit of Portland trivia I didn't know
I've never really understood the fascination with that carpet design. It seems like a pretty unremarkable mid-20th-century pattern to me. It's so unremarkable in fact that I can't recall it ever being mentioned as a thing until about a decade ago, when some of it got removed in a design refresh (that's probably what you're thinking of, sparkle). Suddenly you'd see mousepads, parkas, vinyl decals and all sorts of junk with the pattern all over town.
Yeah, that sounds about right. Most of my family is from Portland and they'd never mentioned the carpet before and we've all flown in and out of PDX many times over the years. Though we did have quite a lull from about 2005-2015 (when my grandfather was having some health issues) so if it reached peak during then, definitely would have missed it lol
Funnily enough, I remember when this happened and was also mildly upset about it. I agree with it being a completely unremarkable pattern, but once I didn't see it it felt really jarring. Maybe there's a term for it, but I'm glad they managed to put it back and I thought it was fun that the Portland community found something to hold on their own besides the "weird"/hipster culture though I'm sure this got folded into that.
I never really spent enough time in the airport itself to form any kind of attachment.
As for the weirdo hipster culture thing, I kinda feel like that was never really understood by the ones who made hay out of it. The weird/hipster culture thing always seemed to me to be tied up with the craft-foodie thing that was happening in the aughts. I'm of that late-X, early-Millennial cohort that was into things like making soap to sell at Saturday Market (I actually had good friends who did exactly that), distilling shine at home just for the fun of it (same friends), and going to strip clubs for the craft beer and criminally under-priced steak (if you know, you know).
It was never about being "weird" with me and my homies, but about finding good things all around us that everyone else in the world overlooked because they were in too deep into the consumer culture. Sure, there were weirdos, but they weren't valued for their weirdness, but because they partook of that rejection of consumerism, and often contributed greatly to the appreciation of the good life.
Maybe that's just my experience of Portland, though.
Thanks for the comment and sharing your experience with living there.
I grew up outside of Portland proper as part of the younger millennial group, and a lot of my experiences with the whole "weird" movement was when it found myself visiting the city proper. I didn't mind it when I did visit, there was usually someone doing something interesting, and it was rare that I ran into someone being a nuisance. I also didn't spend enough time in Portland itself to really care about it that much while I was growing up, my main reason for wanting to go downtown then was for Powell's Books.
Now I think any negative association I have with it now is due to some of the people who I grew up with/went to school for years that moved into Portland proper and made the whole "weird" thing a big part of their identity and became ever more involved in the progressive politics that Portland is known. One of my best friends decided to go to PSU while I went to OSU. We still played games occasionally, and I even played DnD with his group occasionally as a sort of guest character (wandering illiterate half-orc barbarian). In casual conversation at the gaming table, his new girlfriend (who was very much into the aforementioned weird culture) found out I was a member of a fraternity, and it was like a switch was flipped, and her entire attitude changed towards me. Eventually he stopped talking to myself and another of my best friend. We pieced it together that he stopped talking to us bother right around the time she learned about us being in the same fraternity (she also played games with us and my other best friend mentioned it to her while gaming shortly after I had mentioned it). After he married his then girlfriend, I ended up needing to reach out to his brother who still talks to us to organize me dropping off his things I still had and get back the stuff I had lent him. He wouldn't even come to the door while I was there to gave it to me himself, which sucked.
Obviously total anecdotal experience shared above, but I know other people who've made the weird movement a big part of their identity and have changed a lot after moving there and now treat me differently. People change, life moves on, I know I'm a lot different than I was years ago. Just gives me personal not happy feelings since I still miss my old best friend and the relationship we had.
That's an odd thing to sever ties with someone about, particularly if you're close.
I also took off for Eugene right about the time that whole scene blew up, so I can really only speak to that time before it became a known thing. The people my age and a little older were more about loud music, good food and beer, and copious weed–among other things. Heavily tatted and pierced before it hit mainstream. Shopping thrift stores because it was what they could afford, not because it was the done thing. They were the scene the later weirdos were hoping to find in Stumptown, but then bougied up into a farce.
Like I said, in my opinion the people who ended up making the most hay out of Portland being a haven for weirdos never really understood what the Portland vibe was about, but I guess that gets into No True Scotsman territory, so I'll leave off my old man ramblings for now.
I agree, it felt ironic in that she was very vocal about avoiding stereotypes for people, but apparently bought into all the negative stereotypes about people who are members of a college fraternity based on what my old friend's brother told me.
I'll say that I appreciate your ramblings, as it gives me insight into a part of my hometown's history that I have little exposure to outside how people now interpret Portland. I was very close to moving to Eugene myself as my brother went to school at U of O. Ended up having almost all of my friends go to OSU and I liked the campus more.
The thing people often leave out of narratives like "keep Portland weird" is that the weirdness grows organically from cheap rents and proximity to opportunities to make a living doing weird shit. Once an area makes a name for itself with those, people willing to pay for atmosphere move in and price out the kooky types who were only there because they could afford to rent an attic room on buskers' pay. After that it's all cosplay.
Side note: Building commercial buildings with wood for environmental reasons is becoming pretty popular. I'm not even going to try and explain the reasoning because it's not my expertise, but I will link a video from Matt Risinger: https://youtu.be/2rN-HqSoVBY?si=x0RUm1VINPLUJySu
Looks better than Chicago O'Hare!
Too bad I have less connecting flights in the Northwest.
I'm planning to visit some family in Portland sometime soon and it'll be cool to see the changes. I've not been inside PDX in years which was one of those "wow time flies and I'm feeling older" moments. I always felt the airport was laid out well and never had any hassles with traveling through there in the past.
I'm starting to think that this sort of thing - greenspace - is a mistake. Any time there's a bunch of trees indoors, the obvious prerequisite is that there is space for a bunch of trees indoors, which means the place is too big, and should instead be shrunk down, so it's more human-scale.
When the space needs to be big enough to handle thousands of humans simultaneously, it needs to be big. If it's big and the ceilings are low, it feels claustrophobic and airflow becomes a challenge. So the ceilings need to be tall. And once it's tall, trees are a pleasant addition, in that they look nice and provide a visual variation.
How would you shrink an airport terminal down to a human scale?
Having been there, my main takeaway was that it was a place for people. It feels warm and welcoming and even cozy - not words I usually associate with modern air travel.
It reminds me of a pedestrian street. That is, it's an outdoor look, except there's a roof. It seems like the right scale for that sort of thing?
Contrast with airports in Hawaii where you actually are outside.