Fariborz Maseeh Hall, Portland State University
How do we elevate an essential campus facility into a high-tech, high-profile, global academic space?
PSU Foundation
Fariborz Maseeh Hall, Portland State University
Portland, Oregon
220,000 SF
Completed 2019
Client Notes
Transform the fortress-like 1960s Neuberger Hall into a modern, interactive, light-filled academic hub. The design should improve connectivity, wayfinding, and accessibility, and bring the building into life safety compliance, while strengthening the connection between the university and city.
Designer Notes
For this building that serves nearly all of PSU's students, the design was driven by a desire to create an engaging, open, and humane experience. With emphasis on access to daylight and connections between indoor and outdoor spaces, Fariborz Maseeh Hall (formerly Neuberger Hall) now connects to both of the active city thoroughfares that surround it: SW Broadway and the Park Blocks. A central lightwell brings natural light into the heart of this dense building, and a more transparent facade provides visual connectivity to the outdoors. With programs ranging from art and design, to math and world languages, to academic advising, a more connected and open FMH gives students, faculty, and staff more opportunities for cross-pollination.
Certifications
LEED Gold
People
Matthew Leavitt / Rashmi Vasavada / Sonia Norskog / Jake Freauff / Shawn Glad / Marissa Jordan / Brendan Hart / Alex Palmer / Vijayeta Davda / Brad Smith / Melissa Clark / Andrew Schilling / William Dann / Joe Swank / Ethan Ryden
David Keltner, Design Principal
Nicholas Hodges, Project Manager
