OSU-Cascades hosts community forum to introduce campus design team

OSU-Cascades campus and adjacent properties.
May 4, 2016

Oregon State University – Cascades has selected Page Southerland Page and SERA Architects as the design team to work with the university in creating a long range development plan for the expanded campus in Bend, Ore. Community members will have an opportunity to meet representatives of the design team in a forum on Monday, May 9.

The Page and SERA team will work with university representatives and community members to plan for a campus that serves 3,000 to 5,000 students on property adjacent to and including OSU-Cascades’ current 10-acre campus. OSU-Cascades purchased a 46-acre property adjacent to the current campus in January. The university is exploring remediation possibilities for a 76-acre former demolition landfill, which is also adjacent to the current campus.

The community forum will introduce the Page Southerland Page and SERA Architects design team representatives, and include discussion of the project goals, the scope of planning work, and the schedule, highlighting opportunities for community engagement. 

“Feedback from the community was an important consideration in the selection of our design team,” said Kelly Sparks, associate vice president for finance and strategic planning. “We are pleased to bring the talent and experience of the Page and SERA team into our collaborative planning process and look forward to creating a vibrant campus for students, faculty and our community.” 

Page, a multi-disciplinary national firm, has extensive experience planning for higher education campuses and in the design of higher education facilities. Page planners have been involved in programming and planning new campuses in Texas, California, Nevada, Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Central Asia.

SERA is a multi-disciplinary planning and design group from Portland, Ore., with experience in sustainable planning and creative community outreach techniques. Amongst SERA’s core expert areas are higher education, with a focus on sustainable campuses, and urban design and planning.

The combined team of Page and SERA has engaged in the planning and design of more than 300 projects at 100 institutions, including 86 projects that encompassed master planning. Their joint work includes higher education planning for new campuses and improvements for existing campuses.

Among the Page team members’ projects are the University of California Berkeley Richmond Bay Campus long range development plan, campus plans for Colorado State University Pueblo and the University of San Francisco, and the Portland State University framework plan, which they developed jointly with SERA.

SERA has completed campus plans for Pacific University and Southern Oregon University and is currently working on a master plan and district systems infrastructure for Google.

The community forum will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Bend Parks & Recreation headquarters, Riverbend Community Room, 799 SW Columbia Street. The forum is open to the public. 

About OSU-Cascades: Oregon State University’s branch campus in Bend, Ore., features outstanding faculty in degree programs that reflect Central Oregon’s vibrant economy and abundant natural resources. Nearly 20 undergraduate majors, 30 minors and options, and four graduate programs include computer science, energy systems engineering, kinesiology, hospitality management, and tourism and outdoor leadership. The branch campus expanded to a four-year university beginning fall 2015; its new campus will open in fall 2016.