OC Contractor Lauded by National AGC

Oregon City - Local general contractor Advanced American Diving Service, Inc. recently received the national Associated General Contractors highest accolades for its work on the Army Corps of Engineers' Miter Gate Repair project, Lower Granite Dam, Wash. Advanced American Diving Service was awarded both the Aon Build America and Marvin M. Black Excellence in Partnering, awards.

Aon Build America Merit Awards recognize complicated projects that demonstrate innovation, state-of-the-art advancement, environmental sensitivity, community contribution, and excellence in project management client service and safety. The Marvin M. Black, Excellence in Partnering Awards are presented annually to the construction projects best epitomizing the principles of partnering.

This project received an "Outstanding Performance Rating" from the Corps, and Advanced American Diving Service was awarded the Department of the Army Certificate of Appreciation, and received a $200,000 bonus for early completion.

New Bank Breaks Ground in Roseburg

Roseburg - Umpqua Bank, has broken ground on a new 20,000-sq.-ft. training facility. The Umpqua Bank Training and Support Center here will be home to the bank's internal university, which provides bank associates with ongoing training opportunities.

The bank expects to occupy the building before Christmas 2003, and the first WGBU training sessions will begin shortly thereafter. General contractor is R. E. Noah, of Roseburg. The architect is Thompson Vaivoda and Associates of Portland.

GBD Offices Move to New Space in Brewery Blocks

Portland - After more than 20 years in the historic Auditorium Building on S.W. Third Avenue, GBD Architects, Inc. has relocated to The Brewery Blocks in the Pearl District. GBD is serving as the architect for The Brewery Blocks, the largest urban redevelopment project built in Portland in the last 30 years.

GBD leased 14,000 sq. ft. on two adjoining floors in an office building that integrates a new, high-rise tower with the historic Henry Weinhard's brewhouse. The landmark building allows the firm to consolidate its entire staff into a single, yet highly distinctive space.

GBD's new space takes advantage of an ornate mezzanine structure to create a two-story, open floor plan. There are no private offices and the workstations are all the same size, so the staff can move around easily as the projects and team members change. The space serves as a model for green building design, using numerous recycled products and energy-conscious features.

Tigard - Commercial Contractor Gray Purcell Inc., has started construction on The Hawthorne, a 36,211-sq.-ft. mixed-use development at S.E. 34th and Hawthorne Boulevard in Portland, Ore.

Architectural firm Vallaster and Corl of and TM Rippey Consulting Engineers of Tigard are providing design and engineering services.

The ground floor offers 17,500 sq. ft. of commercial space, most of which has already been leased. Three spaces, totaling 6,800 sq. ft., remain available. The upper floors offer 16 two-bedroom, two-bath residential units with glass and brick exterior.

Construction is expected to be complete in September 2003.