Hi.
Welcome to my blog. I document my adventures in travel, style, and food. Hope you have a nice stay!
Welcome to my blog. I document my adventures in travel, style, and food. Hope you have a nice stay!
Portland Office 555 SE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Suite 501, Portland, OR 97214
Bend Office 2838 NW Crossing Drive, Suite 202, Bend, OR 97703
Phone +503 227 1254
General Inquiries inquiries@hackerarchitects.com
Careers Current Openings
Social Equity Just Organization
Hacker Architects turns 40 this year, an anniversary marked by both celebration and reflection. In this significant year, we remember our founder, Thom Hacker, whose vision and dedication were the seeds from which our firm grew. Though his loss has left a profound impact on us, it has also given us the gift of pause—a moment to embrace and reaffirm our core principles and values.
Our journey began with a calling—a belief that architecture serves humanity by forging and intensifying our connections to the earth, our communities, and each other. Over the past four decades, we have ventured into various project types, sizes, and construction methods. Along the way, hundreds of remarkable, skilled, and dedicated individuals have contributed their talents and time to shape our projects into what they are today.
As we embark on this 40-year timeline, our focus is on the work—the tangible expression of our passion, creativity, and commitment. We invite you to join us on this journey through our history, to explore the projects that have defined our legacy, and to share in the memories that have made us who we are today. May you find as much joy in this retrospective as we did in reliving these moments of our architectural journey.
In 1970, Thom Hacker relocated his family to Eugene, Oregon, where he designed and built a family home. During his 14 years at the University of Oregon, the home served as an educational annex, where he mentored talented young designers, many of whom later became leaders in the Northwest's top architecture firms.
In 1983, Thom founded an architecture firm in a tiny office in Old Town in Portland with his longtime friend and colleague Richard Garfield. The firm is now known as Hacker.
In 1986, the firm's win in a national design competition for the Arizona Historical Society Museum in Tempe brought name recognition to this small studio. The museum's rendering was painted by Thom Hacker's father, Homer Hacker.
After winning the commission to design the Arizona Historical Museum, Thom received a call from Don Kerr to discuss his vision for the High Desert Museum, a place that would showcase the natural and cultural forces shaping Central Oregon and the high desert region of the western US. Thom embraced the opportunity. The resulting design features unassuming, elegant buildings constructed using extensive native volcanic stone and wood, some sourced directly from the land. Beyond their simple beauty, the barn-inspired structures achieved two crucial goals: they harmonized with the landscape and allowed for easy expansion as the museum grew. Hacker is currently working on a new addition for the Museum, highlighted at the end of this timeline.
— High Desert Museum
Oregon Health & Sciences University took a leap of faith by hiring Hacker to design the Biomedical Information Communication Center (BICC) – the first fully-computerized biomedical research library in the United States. Competing against the Northwest’s most experienced firms, Hacker rode his bike to the hilltop campus for the interview, turning the presentation into equal parts architectural history lesson and a celebration of the opportunities of the complex hillside site. The ensemble of former students Hacker and Garfield hired to design included influential and award-winning architects like Brad Cloepfil, Rick Potestio, Elizabeth Williams, and John Cava.
The concrete-framed building, clad in limestone and marble, has a glass block and aluminum window system that had not been attempted before. Debra Dietsch, a pioneering architecture writer and critic who served as editor-in-chief of Architecture Magazine in the 1990s, wrote of the two projects Hacker designed for OHSU – the BICC and succeeding School of Nursing – “Thomas Hacker's buildings at OHSU not only offer a sign of health within their university setting, but within contemporary architectural design.“
The High Desert Museum showcased the firm's ability to design for sensitive landscapes, while the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum solidified the firm’s signature “landscape and buildings as a continuous whole” way of thinking. Hacker was tasked with merging the resources and ambitions of the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Wasco County Historical Museum into a single facility dedicated to inspiring appreciation and stewardship of the Columbia River Gorge and Wasco County through the collection, preservation, and interpretation of cultural and natural history resources. With a strong connection to the Gorge and Klickitat Hills, the simple architectural forms complement rather than overpower the natural beauty of the area, which spans fifty-four acres of restored landscape preserving the 10,000-year history of the Columbia Basin.
After the success of the Multnomah County Library’s Midland Branch, Hacker was chosen as the architect for all of Multnomah County’s Branch Libraries in the late 1990s. This encompassed 3 new branch libraries, 3 historic renovations, and 7 additional renovations across nearly every neighborhood in the County. This presented the firm with a unique opportunity to extensively explore community library design, involving many team members in this important community-focused project type.
The most acclaimed branch was the Woodstock Library, a modestly-sized new building in SE Portland that served as a model for library design in the Northwest. It received a regional American Institute of Architects Honor Award, commended for its “rigorous but poetic structure and its outstanding tectonic harmony, from the smallest scale of details to the basic design concept.”
— Jury Comments from the 2001 ALA/ALA national Awards
By 2000, libraries had become a vital project focus for the firm. Hacker secured their initial library project with the Spokane Library, swiftly followed by the main Deschutes Library in Bend.
In the late 1990s, the firm was awarded the commission to design a main library in Beaverton, Oregon, as part of the development of a new civic center. The reading room in this library in Oregon is designed around a significant public room, constructed of an "orchard" of graceful wooden columns arching upward into a wooden lattice of roof framing, architecturally invoking the city's nickname of the City of Trees. This light-filled space was an early example of a “biophilic” design, before it was named as such, catering to our innate desire to connect with nature. Additionally, this beautifully crafted building was one of the firm's early examples of mass timber construction, a hallmark of their later work.
— Mary Kitch, Editorial Writer, The Oregonian
From the 2000s to the present day, Hacker has specialized in the sensitive and budget-conscious renovation of historic campus buildings. These projects typically prioritize upgrading systems for safety and energy efficiency, leaving limited resources for experiential enhancements. Hacker’s method revolves around making each decision serve multiple functions, aiming to modernize the buildings while preserving the original architectural intent and shedding the exclusivity often associated with such historical spaces.
One notable project in this vein is Architecture Hall at UW, originally constructed as a temporary structure during the 1909 Alaskan-Yukon Pacific Exposition in Seattle. Due to budget constraints, this project focused on finding efficiencies and revealing the natural beauty of the existing building. The studio spaces were left in their raw state, showcasing the building's structural elements and establishing a genuine connection between architecture students and the building's essence.
— John Palewicz, Director, Central Group, University of Washington
As part of a sustainable densification strategy downtown, Cyan/PDX pioneered the introduction of the small European model apartment concept to Portland. This concept, now widely adopted, has effectively lowered urban living costs and enriched neighborhood vibrancy. Every aspect of designing these living spaces was thoughtfully planned to foster a sense of openness and connection to the outdoors.
Being one of the initial LEED Gold apartments in Portland, the building operates on 100% renewable electric power, incorporates energy- and water-efficient appliances, utilizes locally sourced materials, features an eco-roof, and boasts environmentally sensitive landscaping.
Demonstrating Mercy Corps’ sustainable, community-centered philosophy, Hacker designed a Command Center for a global team overseeing disaster relief and community development efforts in over 40 countries. Half of the project involves revitalizing a historic Portland landmark, seamlessly linked to a modern counterpart that complements its historic integrity.
This project serves as the firm's inaugural venture into non-academic workplace design, igniting the establishment of a dedicated interior design studio several years later. As Hacker’s first LEED Platinum project and AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top 10 Green Project, it beautifully reflected Mercy Corps’ mission to seamlessly integrate within the communities they serve.
— Jury Comments from the 2012 AIA Cote Awards for Mercy Corps Global Headquarters
The Hallie E. Ford Center for Healthy Children and Families plays a pivotal role in supporting crucial research aimed at enhancing the well-being of children and families. The choice to incorporate mass timber serves a dual purpose, honoring the Ford Family’s connection to the lumber industry and fostering a cozy, inviting, and tactile environment that promotes the occupants’ well-being while minimizing the building’s carbon footprint. This project, the firm’s inaugural building at OSU, was designed within the campus’ historic district, demanding a delicate balance between respecting the historical context and embracing a dynamic and forward-thinking approach.
— Jeff McCubbin, OSU Distinguished Professor of Exercise Sciences and Executive Associate Dean College of Health and Human Sciences
It took the firm more than 20 years to secure a project at the University of Oregon following Thom Hacker’s tenure as a professor there, despite numerous attempts. The Lewis Integrative Science Building is the third project the firm completed on the campus. It serves as the hub for strategic research clusters with a focus on interdisciplinary and integrative research missions. Its primary objective is to foster synergies among diverse academic disciplines by physically uniting the sciences.
The decision to enlist an out-of-state firm for a library deeply rooted in the local community sparked controversy. Hacker recognized that the project’s success hinged on a genuinely authentic and sensitive approach to community outreach. Consequently, the firm placed paramount importance on public engagement, surpassing its previous efforts in this regard. The design of the library paid profound respect to the rich and multifaceted history of Bayview/Hunters Point, with a particular focus on its African and African American art and architecture.
Furthermore, this project marked a significant milestone as the most advanced library in terms of sustainable design ever undertaken by the firm. It not only aligned with the library’s environmental objectives but also served as an educational resource for the community, exemplifying the firm's commitment to sustainability.
— Luis Herrera, Former SFPL City Librarian
MESOM, one of Thom Hacker’s final projects as the Lead Designer, is situated less than 2 miles south along the Pacific Ocean from one of his early projects with Lou Kahn, the Salk Institute. This building plays a significant role in studying and safeguarding the marine ecosystem. Design choices were guided by sustainability, site and climate considerations, as well as the imperative for cutting-edge lab facilities to support essential research.
The integration of interior design into Hacker’s practice in 2014 marked a significant shift in the firm's approach to architecture. Recognizing the crucial role interior design plays in shaping how people experience space, Hacker made the strategic decision to bring interior designers on board. The firm’s mantra for all designers, whether they are architects, interior designers, or graphic designers, is to design “from the inside out and simultaneously from the outside in.”
Lakeside at Black Butte Ranch signifies the successful implementation of this approach and its positive impact on the project. Hacker Interior Designers are an integral part of every Hacker project, underlining our commitment to thoughtful and cohesive design that takes into account both the interior and exterior aspects of their work.
The design concept for the new Bistro, Pool, and Spa draws inspiration from the barn-like simplicity of the adjacent 1970s Country House Condominiums, evolving the design language to create a stronger and more immediate connection with the surrounding landscape. Hacker made certain that the building doesn't compete with the natural environment, but rather serves to enhance the experience of the site by framing and editing views. We describe the design as a “landform” building, which has since become a Hacker signature.
The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Oregon’s spiritual home is arguably one of the purest examples the firm has of a building that is deferential to the land, full of natural light, and beautifully and meticulously crafted out of regional materials. Acting at once as both site specific experiential art and architecture, the building’s connection to the earth offers a deeply felt experience. Reflecting on the building’s inauguration, Rev. K. Antonia Won remarked, “This beautiful and sacred new home ... is a testament to what can be achieved when vision, generosity, and dedication converge within the spirit of peaceful community central to our liberal religious tradition.'“
George Fox University’s new Dining Hall offered an opportunity to showcase how projects executed through a budget-conscious Design-Build approach can still uphold the highest standards of design excellence. The project’s objective was to create an easily constructible dining facility that prioritizes intricate design elements and user comfort while adhering to the budgetary constraints of a higher education client. Sited in a densely forested location on the George Fox campus, the Dining Hall’s design takes care to cultivate connections between interior and exterior spaces and provide ample access to natural daylight and views into the forest canopy.
This project exemplifies the beauty of simplicity—an approach to design that may seem uncomplicated but can easily become obscured by the numerous factors that influence a project during its development.
This expansive 300,000 sq. ft. office building marks Hacker’s most comprehensive exploration into biophilic workplace design, bridging the gap between people and nature at every conceivable level. Amidst a chaotic urban landscape, Field Office intensifies physical and visual connections to the natural world, creating a workspace where the boundaries between indoors and outdoors blur, and where the outside environment effortlessly merges with the interior.
First Tech Federal Credit Union’s Oregon campus embodies their “People First” motto. The design prioritizes employee well-being by seamlessly integrating nature and comfort into the workspace. From the sustainable cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure to abundant natural light, every detail bridges the gap between indoors and outdoors, fostering a strong connection with nature.
This project solidified Hacker’s expertise in building with Mass Timber, extending naturally from the firm’s love of wood structures evident in its earliest projects.
A collection of Hacker designed single-family homes in Central Oregon began with this weekend retreat, offering a serene and grounded escape from the homeowners’ busy lives. Embracing the unique high desert surroundings, this residence captures panoramic views and the interplay of land and sky, from clear blue horizons to dramatic Cascades sunsets to snow-covered landscapes.
The scale and purpose of single-family homes offer the firm an avenue for exploration not always feasible with larger institutional projects. The experiential aspect of home design has informed all the firm's work with innovations in materials, spatial design, sustainability, and form, making it a pivotal sector for the firm.
The Just program serves as a transparency platform for organizations to disclose their operations, encompassing aspects such as how employees are treated and financial and community investments. It can be likened to a nutrition label for socially just and equitable organizations. Prior to Hacker’s formal adoption as a Just organization, the firm conducted an informal audit of all the requirements to identify areas in need of improvement. Substantial enhancements were made in various areas, most notably in raising company-wide minimum salaries to align with the MIT Living Wage calculator’s standards for a 2 Adult/3 Children family unit. Furthermore, Hacker introduced enhancements to employee benefits, including paid parental leave. The firm’s ongoing commitment involves actively pursuing greater diversity within our firm, particularly in leadership (where it is the least diverse). This effort is continuous as is Hacker’s dedication to challenging our status quo.
Lents Commons marked the beginning of Hacker’s focus on addressing the affordable housing crisis with a dedication to providing the same quantity and quality of housing for everyone regardless of economic status. Built for the Portland Housing Bureau, this project not only enhanced the quality of common program elements such as laundry rooms, recognizing their potential for nurturing community, but also introduced innovative apartments that placed a premium on natural light and scenic views within the living areas. Furthermore, it granted tenants the autonomy to regulate the degree of privacy and openness in their bedrooms.
Lents Commons marks a significant milestone as Hacker’s first project addressing housing affordability.
Engagement with construction materials has consistently held deep significance for the firm, using it as a means to design buildings that seamlessly integrate with their surroundings. In the case of Theory 33 – a mid-scale apartment building in SE Portland - Hacker collaborated closely with a brick manufacturer to meticulously craft the color and texture of the bricks, enabling the material itself to set the building apart without incurring additional expense. The result is a captivating and constantly shifting hue, brought about by the brick’s subtle reflective properties, and an impression of strength conveyed by the vertical grooves that effectively conceal the vertical mortar joints between the bricks.
This project at Portland State University transformed the outdated and fortress-like 1960s Neuberger Hall, now known as Fariborz Maseeh Hall, into a modern, interactive, and light-filled academic hub. Originally constructed in the Brutalist style, the building reflected the practical and inward-focused design tendencies of that era. However, half a century later, these structures are the opposite of the open, adaptable environments needed today. The revitalization of this building centered on three key strategies: user-centric design; lifecycle and safety enhancements; and collaborative decision-making. By implementing these strategies, the transformation not only modernized the physical structure but also aligned it with the evolving educational and safety needs of the university community. The successful completion of this project marked the first in a series of comparable transformations of brutalist buildings. Often executed on a shoestring budget, Hacker’s approach is to address seismic and life safety deficiencies while simultaneously instilling a greater sense of organization within the building's program and introducing natural daylight into its core.
In 2016 Hacker took on a unique role, serving as both the designer and anchor tenant for a new mass timber office building, later named District Office. Early in the design process, Hacker sought input from staff to gain understanding of their hopes and desires for the new workspace. The feedback gathered was resoundingly clear, with a focus on nurturing collaboration and ensuring abundant access to natural light. In essence, people yearned for an environment that would elevate their well-being while at work. Choosing mass timber as the primary construction material was an obvious choice considering its positive impact on the well-being of building occupants. The design team explored alternative structural and mechanical systems to facilitate a spacious and flexible open office layout with seamless integration of mechanical systems. The resultant structural and mechanical system design established new benchmarks for mass timber office buildings in the region. The building’s light exterior is composed of a carefully orchestrated blend of finely textured mortar-washed reclaimed bricks and generously proportioned windows that alternate to highlight interior wood structure from the outside, paying homage to the neighborhood’s industrial heritage of timber-framed warehouses. The result is a workplace that transcends the ordinary and elevates well-being.
How can school design encourage the social independence that aligns with the developmental stage of middle schoolers, motivating them to take ownership of their learning and embrace broader perspectives? This Middle School, inspired by nurse logs and on a wooded slope, creates a supportive ecosystem, utilizing all spaces for learning — turning hallways into learning zones, enabling classroom breakout activities, and immersing students in nature. This nurturing environment supports intellectual, emotional, and physical growth. Embracing natural ventilation and adhering to sustainability standards of the AIA 2030 and the Energy Trust of Oregon’s Path to Net Zero program, the project exemplifies sustainability while fostering student autonomy and inspiration.
In 2017, Salem’s residents voted in favor of preserving their massive concrete public library and modernizing it for 21st-century needs. Structures from this era are reaching a point where revitalization is essential, yet communities often find themselves constrained by budgets that primarily cover earthquake safety, the replacement of outdated equipment, and repairs to address issues like leaky roofs and windows. The transformation was focused on areas that significantly shape the public experience and enhance the library’s functionality for staff, ensuring the library’s cherished status for another 75 years. Despite working within tight financial constraints, every dollar was meticulously allocated, with a primary focus on introducing natural light into the heart of the once fortress-like structure. The outcome is a bright, open space that now warmly welcomes the community, effectively turning the inward-facing, brutalist-era building into a vibrant hub nearly half a century after its initial opening.
The genesis for this mixed-use residential building arose when a group of close friends considered how they could preserve their relationships and connect to a diverse neighborhood during their last years. Co-housing, with its emphasis on community and shared spaces, provided the perfect answer. They opted for the strategy of aging in place together within a walkable, amenity-rich, and healthcare-accessible neighborhood.
Hacker reimagined the street-facing side of the building as a modern interpretation of the traditional front porch. A designed sequence of outdoor terraces was introduced to capture natural light, which gradually recede from the street. This innovative approach not only fosters neighborly connections but also maximizes light, ventilation, and scenic views compared to a conventional street-facing structure.
In summer 2022, Hacker opened an office in Bend, Oregon. After having worked in the region for almost 40 years, it felt like a natural place for a second office. It continues the firm’s commitment to designing buildings uniquely suited to the high desert landscape. The office is in a space designed by Hacker that is part of “The Grove”, a thriving mixed-use hub that provides housing, office, retail, and a community market hall with a shared plaza. There is no place like Central Oregon, and the dynamic and unique landscape continues to inspire the firm’s projects in the region.
Custom wood entry doors, designed and finished by Hacker and fabricated and milled on a computer-controlled mill by local fabricators, grace the entrance of the recently opened Black Butte Ranch Lodge, welcoming guests since the spring of 2023. This project reaffirms Hacker’s passion for weaving art and architecture, drawing inspiration from the richness of Central Oregon’s history.
As the third project designed by Hacker at Black Butte Ranch, the Lodge’s completion marks the culmination of a transformation of the heart of the Pacific Northwest’s most renowned and cherished destination resort.
As The High Desert Museum embarks on its fifth decade, it is creating the Center for the High Desert as part of an initiative advancing its mission to inspire and responsibly educate. This Center represents not only a new physical space but a commitment to foster meaningful dialogue and fresh ideas. In partnership with Plateau Tribes, the expansion includes a reimagined exhibit that seeks to forge connections between visitors and contemporary Indigenous cultures. Additionally, this expansion incorporates an art gallery, classrooms, versatile gathering areas for a wide array of events, and an immersive outdoor experience.
