Westerly Topped Out, Move-in Date Set for 2008

Portland - The final floor and roof of the Westerly has been poured, signifying the official topping out of the Uptown mid-rise.

The 14-story condominium tower and townhome project is on schedule for completion as it enters the next phase of development. Onder Development LLC – with Williams and Dame – expects to release the first floors of units to buyers in February of 2008. 

The exclusive tile and stone designs by Ann Sacks’ Design and Direct Source are also being installed.

Construction College Starts Fundraising Campaign

Portland - The Northwest College of Construction has kicked off its “Inspire Careers” fundraising campaign with $76,000 already donated by industry leaders, and that’s not including the thousands of dollars of in-kind contributions. The college, the first of its kind in the Pacific Northwest, is part of an industry-generated solution to the ever-growing challenge of recruiting quality workers into construction careers. 

While the baby boomers approach their retirement and fewer applicants enter into construction, the industry faces an unprecedented workforce shortage issue.  With fewer and fewer schools offering any kind of technical, hands-on educational program, students receive little exposure to the crafts.

Contractors understand their best competitive advantage is their people.

Top sponsors currently include R&H Construction, Career Builder Benefactor, Hamilton Construction, Moore Excavation and Staton Industries as Career Builder Champions, and Hunter Davisson, Cherokee General Corporation, Dupont/ Tyvek, Yorke & Curtis and Daily Journal of Commerce as Career Builder Promoters.

NWCC is a privately funded, non-profit, 501(c) 3 educational institution.

Research Lab Starts Pre-Design Phase at UW

Portland - Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects LLP, Portland, has been selected by the University of Washington for the pre-design of a new Molecular Engineering Interdisciplinary Academic Building.

Sited centrally on the Seattle Campus, the interdisciplinary research and teaching laboratory facility will complement the University's existing engineering facilities. The facility will provide the necessary program spaces to bring together students and researchers in bioengineering, chemical engineering, nanotechnology, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and materials science engineering, which are currently dispersed throughout campus. Associated molecular and nanotechnology instrumentation will also be consolidated into the new facility to provide greater synergy and enhanced research capabilities.