AWARDS Archives - Mayer Reed

Small Budget, Big Impact

It was a great night celebrating landscape architecture with our peers at ASLA Oregon’s 2024 Design Awards soirée on September 27. We were inspired by the professional and student achievements and incredible projects happening around the region.

During the event, Mayer/Reed was honored with a Green Ribbon Merit Award for our pro bono work on the Gorge Accessibility Project for Friends of the Columbia Gorge. The Green Ribbon for Biodiversity and Climate Action recognizes projects that demonstrate notable strides toward shared biodiversity and climate goals and set an example for what our profession can achieve in areas of carbon drawdown, climate resiliency, ecosystem services and community empowerment.

The project, conceptual designs for two accessible recreation sites in the Columbia River Gorge at Cape Horn and Catherine Creek, establishes a vision and develops materials for grants and fundraising. We are proud to be recognized for this important work and are grateful for the opportunity to work with a client and partners that value the goals of inclusivity and climate action. We look forward to seeing the concepts take shape.

Congratulations to all the firms, designers and projects celebrated at the soirée!

Portland Design Commission Honors the hollywoodHUB with Design Excellence Award

This week the Portland Design Commission presented their annual Design Excellence Award to the hollywoodHUB, TriMet’s transit-oriented housing which is under construction as part of a larger redevelopment of the Hollywood Transit Center.

The residential courtyard at the hollywoodHUB

Design Commission Vice Chair, Chandra Robinson commended the Holst Architecture led team for supporting pedestrian and transit uses and for blending “public and private really well, so it feels really open, active and safe.”

The affordable housing complex integrates with a concurrent public paseo project on TriMet’s site, led by David Evans Associates. As a collaborator on both project teams, Mayer/Reed provided the urban design, landscape architecture and experiential graphic design that will unify the site as a cohesive and vibrant community space.

The public paseo adjacent to the hollywoodHUB

Representatives from TriMet, Bridge Housing and Holst accepted the award on behalf of the team at the Design Commission’s Annual State of the City address to Portland City Council on March 13.

“It is very well conceived,” remarked Mayor Ted Wheeler. “Appreciate it. Do more.”

ASLA Oregon Names Taylor Bowden “Outstanding Emerging Professional”

Mayer/Reed landscape designer Taylor Bowden has been named 2023 Outstanding Emerging Professional by the Oregon Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). The award recognizes an individual early in their career who exceeds expectations and shows promise in making contributions to landscape architecture.

Taylor accepted the award during the annual ASLA Oregon Awards Soiree, stating, “I’ve been blessed with so many encouraging peers and mentors who have supported me thus far.” In her acceptance speech, Taylor acknowledged the challenge of believing in oneself – an obstacle that many people, especially women, face when embarking on their careers. She concluded with advice to “advocate for yourself so you can advocate for those after you.”

Taylor’s current projects include Cleveland High School Modernization, the Portland Street Plaza Program and inclusive and accessible viewpoints in the Columbia River Gorge. She serves on the ASLA Oregon Executive Committee as Vice President of Chapter Services.

South Park Blocks Master Plan Receives Award from Oregon Recreation & Parks Association

The master plan for Portland’s historic South Park Blocks received an ORPA Planning Award in recognition of outstanding planning practices and processes. We are proud to have been a part of the complex planning process for this beloved downtown green space.

The South Park Blocks Master Plan develops a long-term concept for the park’s physical rehabilitation as well as a tree succession strategy to improve the resilience of the park’s iconic trees. The recommended design respects the park’s historic character while addressing accessibility and equity considerations throughout. On the MIG-led project, Mayer/Reed provided plaza planning and alignment for the Green Loop that weaves additional pedestrian and bicycle capacity along the park.

Portland Parks & Recreation accepted the award at the Oregon Recreation & Parks Association (ORPA) conference on November 8 in Sunriver, Oregon.