DESIGNED TO SHINE.Byline: Bill Bishop The Register-Guard On a clear day, U.S. District Judge Michael Hogan Michael Hogan is the name of:
n. 1. A point-by-point summary. 2. Baseball A play in which a runner is trapped between bases and is pursued by fielders attempting to make the tag. adj. also run-down 1. a. EWEB EWEB Eugene Water and Electric Board (Oregon) steam plant near the Willamette River Willamette River River, northwestern Oregon, U.S. It flows north for 300 mi (485 km) into the Columbia River near Portland. Oregon's most populous cities are in its valley. The Fremont Bridge, a steel arch with a main span of 1,225 ft (373 m), crosses the river at Portland. . His view is bound to change for the better, and soon, says Jon Kvistad, regional administrator for the General Services Administration The General Services Administration (GSA) was established by section 101 of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (40 U.S.C.A. § 751). The GSA sets policy for and manages government property and records. , which built the $76 million courthouse. The $96 million project, finished on budget and on time, will be dedicated Friday. Instead of vacant dirt and outdated machinery, the nearby landscape shows Kvistad a great opportunity to bring a city's heart back to its river in a way that celebrates the heritage embedded in the site, which is the birthplace of the city's industry along an old millrace mill·race n. 1. The fast-moving stream of water that drives a mill wheel. 2. The channel for the water that drives a mill wheel. Also called millrun. long buried in a pipe. "You really do have one of the best undeveloped sites of any Oregon city There are two places named Oregon City in the United States:
Hogan is no less enthusiastic about what lies outside his windows than what lies within. He hopes the courthouse project will reawaken Verb 1. reawaken - awaken once again awaken, wake up, waken, rouse, wake, arouse - cause to become awake or conscious; "He was roused by the drunken men in the street"; "Please wake me at 6 AM." awareness and appreciation for architecture in the city. "I think we've been way too short-sighted in this community," Hogan said. "Great design doesn't have to cost that much more." Countless examples of great courthouse design will be on display after the 10:30 a.m. dedication Friday. The design embraces light and materials to bring the outside in and the inside out, Hogan said. It is no accident. Hogan and others guided the chief architect, Thom Mayne Thom Mayne (b. January 19, 1944 in Waterbury, Connecticut) is a widely recognized Los Angeles based architect. Educated at USC and the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Mayne helped found the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-ARC) in 1972. , with ideas about creating a public building that conveys openness while unobtrusively providing security, that reflects tradition while embracing the future. "The design of this courthouse began with these courtrooms," Hogan said. Standing in one of the six courtrooms, Hogan noted how traditional courthouses were located on the second floor of a building in the town square. Light shone in for the court process, while light shone out to inform the public that court was in session. The new courtrooms bring natural light in on three sides and have a spiral light fixture overhead that can be seen blocks away shining through the windows when court is in session, he noted. The jury box and judge's bench are designed with theater in mind, to acknowledge and to subtly guide the drama that unfolds in a courtroom, he said. The latest technology can link a witness from anywhere in the world to a local court hearing as fast as if the person were present to be sworn in and seated in the witness box. The curving walls of the courtrooms are ribboned in cherry and walnut, echoing the ribbons of brushed stainless steel stainless steel: see steel. stainless steel Any of a family of alloy steels usually containing 10–30% chromium. The presence of chromium, together with low carbon content, gives remarkable resistance to corrosion and heat. that encase en·case tr.v. en·cased, en·cas·ing, en·cas·es To enclose in or as if in a case. en·case  ment n. the
building's exterior. The stainless steel ribbons come inside the
courthouse lobby, past windows that span the heights of the structure -
drawing the eye to the outdoors and reflecting light in.
Sunlight, when it shines, at times passes through glass panes that serve as stair risers and casts rainbows on the gray slate steps below. The play of light is carried even to the interior signs, which are raised letters painted the same color as the walls. But for the shadows the letters cast, the signs could not be read. Kvistad said he drove home the importance of light in the design by taking Mayne to the glass-walled federal courthouse in Portland on a cloudy winter's day, and then turning off the room lights. This, he told Mayne, is all the light that Oregon has for you to capture. Standing in the courthouse lobby on Wednesday, Kvistad said Mayne got the message. "If you look around, almost every single wall space will have some opening," Kvistad said. "Everywhere you go, light streams down from and across the building." The final touch happens Friday night, after the dedication, when exterior accent lights are turned on for the first time to illuminate the building's curving exterior. COURTHOUSE OPEN HOUSE The courthouse dedication will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday, followed by an open house until 5 p.m. and continuing on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Photo ID and security check required. |
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