Join us as Holst Architecture presents two of their 2024 Oregon Architecture Awards, award-winning projects, Fora Health and OSU’s Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts (PRAx).
AIA CE Pending
Fora Health - 2024 OAA Citation Award
Can a new, nature-inspired treatment facility help Oregon overcome having one of the highest substance abuse rates in the nation? "A place for healing." This phrase was the singular vision that transformed over three acres in East Portland from a vacant, urban, brownfield property into Fora Health’s unmatched treatment campus—winner of a 2023 AIA National Healthcare Design Award. Recovery can be enormously challenging for patients, making physical and emotional well-being essential for success. Fora’s commitment to landscape interventions highlights the broadening application of therapeutic landscapes across dynamic physical, mental, and behavioral health settings. Understanding the impact of the physical environment on attitude, mood, and behavior—and ultimately patient success—our team will reveal how trauma-informed and nature-inspired design and programming decisions resulted in patient satisfaction and program completion rates well above the national average.
Learning Objectives
Attendees will be able to identify trauma-informed design techniques used at Fora Health that tangibly impact patients' healing journeys.
Attendees will be able to describe successful outcomes and lessons learned from applying nature-inspired and trauma-informed design in residential treatment settings.
OSU Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts (PRAx) - 2024 OAA Merit Award
How can architecture amplify creativity across disciplines, dissolve barriers between artist and audience, and foster a more inclusive, dynamic campus culture? This session explores the design of Oregon State University’s Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts (PRAx), a groundbreaking facility that redefines the role of the arts in higher education. Blending music, theater, digital media, and visual arts under one roof, PRAx challenges conventional notions of performance space by weaving learning, rehearsal, and exhibition environments throughout the building. With no strict front-of-house/back-of-house divide, the architecture supports a fluid exchange between students, faculty, and the public, turning every space into a potential venue for creativity and connection. Join us to learn how intentional design can catalyze interdisciplinary collaboration, elevate the arts on campus, and create a true hub for cultural engagement.
Learning Objectives
Attendees will understand how PRAx's design integrates student performance and learning spaces, blurring the lines between audience and performer.
Attendees will discover how intentional design can catalyze interdisciplinary collaboration, elevate the arts on campus, and create a true hub for cultural engagement.
Speakers
Fora Health Presenters:
Kevin Valk | Principal / Owner, Holst Architecture
Having joined Holst in 1996, Kevin has played a pivotal role in the firm’s growth and success. He has contributed to dozens of the firm’s projects, including many of our most significant multi-family housing developments, major hospitality and restaurant projects, renowned office buildings, and recovery spaces. Kevin’s passion for design, commitment to serving his clients’ needs, and diverse skill set are the hallmarks of his tenure at Holst. He brings deep expertise in designing treatment and recovery spaces, with recent work on the Clackamas Recovery Campus, Fora Health Transitional Housing, and the Beaverton Recovery Center—all projects grounded in trauma-informed design to support comprehensive addiction services.
Sarah Vaz | Senior Associate, Holst Architecture
Since joining Holst in 2015, Sarah has worked on a variety of project types and scales, ranging from homeless shelters and affordable housing to addiction treatment centers and higher education facilities. A talented and passionate architect, she excels at honing complex programs and collaborating with user groups to find optimal design solutions. With a strong background in spaces that support healing and recovery, Sarah has contributed to projects such as the Clackamas Recovery Campus, Fora Health Transitional Housing, and the Beaverton Recovery Center, all of which prioritize trauma-informed design and expand access to addiction treatment services. Sarah currently serves as a member of the Portland Design Commission.
OSU PRAx Presenters:
Kim Wilson | Principal / Owner, Holst Architecture
Since joining Holst in 1999, Kim has been instrumental to the firm’s growth and an integral part of establishing Holst’s reputation for quality design and execution. A recipient of Portland Business Journal’s Women of Influence award, she has led many of the firm’s most iconic and meaningful projects. As Holst’s Quality Director, Kim has translated her high standards for quality and her collaborative work ethic into ongoing technical training and mentoring of the firm’s growing staff. She works closely with each project team to bring the design vision to life in its built form.
Dustin Furseth | Senior Associate, Holst Architecture
Since joining Holst in 2014, Dustin has played a pivotal role in many of the firm’s projects. A versatile designer, his diverse portfolio ranges from multi-family affordable and market-rate housing developments to high-rise offices and a higher education creative arts building. He consistently strives for high design, devising innovative solutions to the unique challenges that arise from complex projects. As a Project Designer, Dustin leads teams through the design process, transforming client ideas into reality. Balancing aesthetics, functionality, and sustainability, he crafts beautiful and inspiring environments.