AWB Newsletter
Fall 2017
Editor: Catherine Paglin 



Park shelter takes shape

Ten years after a flood destroyed the middle school in the small town of Vernonia, Oregon, a park shelter is rising on the site. Local volunteers are building the structure, designed by AWB-Oregon with assistance from Lower Columbia Engineering. Materials include old-growth fir planks and timbers salvaged from Vernonia's flood-damaged grade school which was subsequently rebuilt outside the flood zone.  

"The City of Vernonia envisioned a multipurpose shelter that could be the focal point for City events in the park, serve as a bandstand for summer concerts, and be available as a public picnic shelter when bigger events are not taking place," said AWB board member John Blumthal who coordinated AWB's work with the City. Jesse Stemmler, a landscape architect volunteering with AWB, has developed a landscape plan for the area surrounding the shelter. The project is managed by the City of Vernonia and funded by a State of Oregon grant. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of the year. 

Vernonia park shelter roof framing
In this issue
Les Cayes school for the deaf
Architects Without Borders-Oregon will kick off 2018 with a new project: a school for deaf children on the outskirts of Les Cayes, on the southern coast of Haiti. The school will include classrooms for 60 students, dormitories for 48, and living quarters for six adults and additional visiting teachers. Design work will take place during the first six months of 2018, starting at our January 24th general meeting where we will hold a charrette for this project. If you are interested in participating, either as a long-term member of the project team or just for the design charrette, please put the January 24th meeting on your calendar and watch for more information.

Holiday party and film
Don't miss the AWB-Oregon holiday open house, December 20th, 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM at the Center for Architecture, 403 NW 11th. We'll be serving our usual delicious refreshments and screening "Frances Kere: An Architect Between," a short film currently making the rounds of architecture and design film festivals. Watch the trailer here:  https://vimeo.com/229568160




AmazonSmile
If you wrap-up your holiday shopping at  smile.amazon.com/ch/55-0901647, Amazon will donate to Architects Without Borders-Oregon.