Lovejoy building Being Upgraded

Tigard -- Gray Purcell, Inc. a commercial general contractor, has started work on a seismic upgrade for the historic Lovejoy Office Building on 1624 NW Lovejoy Street in Portland, Ore. Work on the project is expected to be completed by October of this year.

Project owner Opsis Architecture designed the two-story, 20,000-square-foot project, and once its completed, will occupy the top floor and lease the ground level to retail tenants. DCI Engineers of Portland, Ore. is providing structural design services. Gray Purcell's Alan Fong is serving as project manager, and Fred Stahl as the project superintendent.

"Seismically upgrading a historic brick building is like assembling a giant jigsaw - challenging but fun," says Mike Purcell, president of Gray Purcell. "The structure was built in 1913 as a horse stable, and then was used as a machine shop. This upgrade includes pouring concrete walls behind the existing brick walls and upgrading the roof structure for the possible future addition of another two floors. A big construction challenge in this dense urban area is access to the building."

AIA marks Architecture Week

The American Institute of Architects/Portland Chapter is celebrating Architecture Week,
October 14 through 23.

The annual celebration includes events and activities for both design community professionals and the public. The week kicks off with the International Interior Design Association awards, moves onto the annual Job Shadow and culminates with the
Design Awards Gala, recognizing the most outstanding projects of the year.