december 2013 | by susan jurasz | show project

At Desert View, visitors don't just look over any desert. They look out over THE desert. The desert which witnessed and endured the testing of atomic weaponry. These moments changed the history of our country and brought the entire world into a new "technological" era - the atomic age.

The success or failure of these exhibits depended as much upon adapting to the landscape as it did the interpretation. The walkway from parking lot to final presentation cul-de-sac took advantage of a striking change in elevation. This in turn generated a series of hairpin turns on the walkway. Signage found placement en-route to the two cul-de-sac arenas that were created for the "longer story" interpretive presentations.

The viewing circles at the cul-de-sacs presented an interesting design and assembly challenge, one that we came to see as a "curve on a curve on a slope." The shape of the panels imitated the arc of the circular pad. The angle of each sign had to be placed so that each one was shaped like a flower petal that is tapered, having a wider top than base. The fact that the cement pad itself requires a slope allowing for drainage created a difficult challenge during installation but ultimately provided the perfect setup to juxtapose the natural beauty of the scenery and created a stunning spot to reflect on our national past.

october 2013 | by susan jurasz

Two of our favorite artists, Laura Bender and John Early of Sitepainters, approached us to assist them in fabricating a couple of sculptures to be displayed at a bus shelter in Grants Pass, Oregon. We began with two beautiful miniature models that the artists had designed to communicate the idea to the City of Grants Pass and the Art Commission.

Our challenge was to take these foot-tall models and scale them to over 12 feet tall. That meant translating the complex shapes jutting out from one another at irregular angles, cuts-outs revealing layers in multiple colors, and dangling chimes into the language of CAD drawings, so our fabricators could bend, punch and cut the material with water jets As the larger-than-life sculptures began to take shape, it felt like Alice and Wonderland. On the day of installation, the sculptures were the perfect size and shape, and the fall hues in surrounding trees accentuated the colors. Once again Laura and John had proved their talent for creating magic in an ordinary place.

september 2013 | by alex ogle

Sea Reach recently had the opportunity to develop interpretive signage for the beautiful historic Goodpasture Covered Bridge, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Goodpasture Covered Bridge was built in 1938 and was named for Benjamin Franklin Goodpasture, a pioneer farmer who had settled near the bridge site. At 165 feet long, it is the second largest covered bridge in Oregon and can be found two miles west of the community of Vida, spanning McKenzie River.

In 2010 Lane County received $2 million in a federal transportation grants to renovate the bridge to its former glory with work beginning in 2012. The bridge was constructed using the Howe truss system developed in 1840 by William Howe, an architect hailing from Massachusetts.

september 2013 | by melissa boettcher

Aw, survey work. What do I say about it? I describe it as walking, locating an object to be observed, unpacking tools, measuring object, recording data, GPS tracking, photo of the area around the object, placing a field ruler next to the object of observation to photograph scale, and then packing up to walk to the next object. For Beaverton, we were seeking the elusive existing vehicular signage under overgrown plants, in parking lots, on crazy busy streets, in bushes, and in plain sight. The task was to record what signs were currently installed so we can evaluate what works and what doesn't.

Now you may ask, what did you measure? Good question. We measured the size of the signs, the height of the poles, distance from the street, etc. Wait, how do you do that from the ground? Good question. We climbed walls and slowly crept the ruler up the side of the pole to latch onto the sign viewing from the ground the measurements. It resulted in two days of hilarious fun trying to get this much-needed data. Survey work for me has never been this much fun.

september 2013 | by melissa boettcher

Returning to the Princess Denali Wilderness Lodge four months after our first visit in May, we are greeted with warmth. What a welcome relief. Sunshine, warm bright buildings, an area full of life, brightly colored flowers and excited tourists.

This trip was to roll-out the new wayfinding system. As all the pedestrian directionals, building signs, room numbers, maps and kiosks were installed, the place began to look like a destination. It was rewarding leaning over the rails and observing people stepping off the buses. I could see them put the pieces together to find their way to their rooms without trouble.

august 2013 | by susan jurasz

Typically projects with cities require opportunities for the general public to express interest or concerns for the location or design of a project that will be part of a public space. For wayfinding projects the list of stakeholders and public outreach can be extensive. Public meetings can be highly productive or a real bust and the difference is all in the preparation, knowing your audience, and creating a platform where everyone speaks. For the Beaveton Downtown Wayfinding open house, the city sent out the invitations and Sea Reach designed the format and conducted the meeting. It was important to us to hear all voices equally, so we set up a series of seven stations. Each manned by Sea Reach staff.

As people entered the room, I greeted each person, introduced the project and the format, gave them a page of colored sticky dots (for voting) and sent them on the circuit. At each station, they got a 2-3 minute introduction to something pertaining to the project that we wished to poll the public - color, nomenclature, destinations, best walking routes, best bike routes, where do you park, how do you describe the downtown in one or two adjectives, what do you consider the perimeter of the Downtown? Every person that entered the room cast a vote, drew a line or circle on a map, or wrote down what was important to them about the Downtown. The circuit kept people moving - as they finished with one set of decisions they were on to the next. Each "station master" collected and consolidated the information into useful information that shaped the design phase of the project. At the second open house, people who returned could see the results of their efforts and how it influenced the project.

august 2013 | by peter reedijk | show project

As part of the redesign of the Powell Butte Visitor Center a small window was designated in the eastern wall of the building for a special purpose. The idea was that the carefully placed frame would capture the iconic image of Mt. Hood, visible most of the time from the elevated butte. There was only one problem: Mt. Hood is NOT the water source for the 50 million gallon reservoir on the butte! A common misperception that the Water Bureau was trying to erase.

The solution: get rid of the window and find a way to show the real source of the gravitation fed water system - Bull Run. The new design concept was to create a sprawling mural with the help of local artist, Larry Eifert, that would display the entire water system. Last week, we installed the result of this effort. Now, inside the new Visitor Center, which is close to being finished, a stunning mural fills the eastern wall - floor to ceiling, wall to wall.

august 2013 | by peter reedijk | show project

Working with artist Mark Andrew, Sea Reach is incorporating a series of bronze reliefs featuring signature species of the four habitats at Powell Butte Nature Park.

The process began by communicating with Mark via photographs what we wanted the bronzes to depict. Through skilled handwork and the eye of the artist, Mark created four sculptures that are featured on top of habitat bollards placed along the loop trail. The bollards provide a glimpse into the different habitats that can be experienced on walks on the butte.

Follow the photo series and see how the sculptures come alive.

july 2013 | by nicole adsit

One of the best things about designing interpretive panels (maybe THE best thing) is reading and absorbing the messages for each site. Flaming Gorge was definitely one of my favorites. The history of this place reads like a Huck Finn story; adventure and danger, limited means, and absolutely NO knowledge of what lies ahead! Not only does it have a rich history and beautiful landscape, it has some of the best geologic features in the area!

Taking all of this in, I wanted to design something showcasing the stunning landscape and rich history. Texture was used to convey age, banners were placed at the top so each panel exhibited a strong image of the site they would be placed at, and the colors were pulled from the area: deep, bold and vibrant.

july 2013 | by megan whitaker

In short: a sign with a colored background with a raised graphics. The key to success is an involved process with carefull planning between the painter and artist.

Before any lettering is laid down, I make measurement and spacing decisions. 
I check with our painter to clarify which paint he intends to paint first, no sense putting any lettering down if he doesn't have paint in the queue as I have a small window of time before it is impossible to cleanly pull off the lettering. Lettering is applied after each coat of paint until the final coat and then all lettering is pulled off and topped with a gloss coat. It is here that perhaps the secondary meaning of the word intaglio is the best description - A gem with an incised design.