Ferns and white flowers in front of rocks

Karl Miller Center

Portland State University
Location: Portland, Oregon
Collaborators: Skanska (General Contractor) Behnisch Architekten (Lead Architect) SRG Partnership (Local Architect) Mayer/Reed (Landscape Architect)
Delivery Type: Integrated Project Delivery
Role: Project Manager / Design Lead
Status: Completed 2017
Credits: Images courtesy of Mayer/Reed & C. Bruce Forster
Awards: ASLA Oregon Honor Award, General Design

A transformative expansion for PSU’s School of Business, Karl Miller Center integrates architecture and landscape to create an inclusive, dynamic hub for learning and community. Public spaces with custom benches, sculptural stormwater planters, and roof terraces extend the academic environment outdoors, activating plazas and green roofs as flexible social spaces.

A vegetated cobble channel conveys stormwater along Montgomery Street, combining ecological function with streetscape design. The five-story atrium unites two buildings and connects to the city through terraced landscapes and skybridges. Delivered through close collaboration with the project’s architects, the LEED Platinum design exemplifi es sustainable, campus-integrated placemaking.

As a Landscape Architect with Mayer/Reed, Tim Strand was project manager and design lead for this project.

Mayer/Reed Team: Carol Mayer-Reed, Tim Strand, Joanna Schwartz

Aerial view of PSU School of Business Karl Miller Center Landscape in front of the Karl Miller Center building at PSU Groundcover detail at the PSU Karl Miller Center Hardscape detail at the PSU Karl Miller Center Plantings near the searting area at the PSU Karl Miller Center Detail of plantings and rock garden at the PSU Karl Miller Center Plant and bench detail at the PSU Karl Miller Center