Portland Community College Portland Metropolitan Workforce Training Center

Portland Community College envisioned an inclusive empowering environment for underserved communities to acquire the valuable job skills and work resources needed to secure employment. Serving primarily young families and women, the program exists as a partnership between PCC and the Department of Human Services, offering GED classes, computer training, resume and interview assistance, and life skills. The new 50,000sf Center replaces an old, windowless facility on the same site in NE Portland’s diverse Cully neighborhood, with a vision to invigorate the neighborhood and support a diverse array of residents and businesses.

Aiming to meet the community where they are resulted in the adoption of a sustained community-centric engagement process and a Trauma-Informed Design approach. This approach seeks to understand the nuanced spatial experiences of stakeholders within the context of their unique lived experiences and stressors. Influenced by social, cultural, and emotional dimensions of space, the design evolved into one that prioritizes warm, human-centered spaces. As the culmination of this effort, a welcoming, mass timber structure with cross laminated timber panels (CLT) celebrates daylight, biophilia, and the well-being of the community—an architectural embodiment of our commitment to transformative and inclusive community-centered design.

Harnessing the established benefits of wood—such as stress reduction, lower pulse rates, decreased blood pressure and moderate humidity—the interior fosters a serene atmosphere tailored to support a community striving for enhanced quality of life and economic stability. As the first mass timber building for PCC, the wooden structure will significantly reduce embodied carbon, maximizing flexibility and adaptability. An optimized one-way frame perfectly suits the span of 3-ply CLT topped with concrete. Chases designed between the CLT panels allow for small electrical element distribution perpendicular to the beams. Aligning with the long-term equity and sustainability vision of the College, this Center will meet the evolving needs of the community well into the future.