Salem Public Works Operations Building

Location: Salem, Oregon

Size: 50,000 SF

Status: Under construction. Anticipated completion July 2023.

Sustainability: All electric fossil fuel free design.

Affiliations: Completed while at Hacker Architects.

Project Description: Scattered across a campus of aging buildings that were below the floodplain and unprepared for the area’s seismic future, Salem’s public works employees sought to collocate in a modest building that would embrace the industrial character of their site while offering a new way of working and welcoming the public. Three gabled structures, dubbed “The Triplets”, abut and shift to optimize indoor program adjacencies and outdoor rooms for visitors and employees alike. The building’s mass timber structure provides a warm backdrop to the mix of private office, open office, shared workspace, conference rooms, communal kitchen and public foyer set to function as the new all-electric backbone for the city’s infrastructure.