Here comes double trouble! This summer, PIVOT has selected two students for the PIVOT Architecture Fellowship which is designed to let University of Oregon students explore a research project of their choosing and work within our project teams.

Josh Garhofer’s project focuses on the study of mobile home parks and manufactured housing looking at how their stigma influences neighborhoods. This stigma can lead to reduced property values, increased traffic, additional public infrastructure, increased risk of fire danger, and other issues. With affordable housing a pressing issue, his proposal aims to address this concern by understanding the viability of manufactured housing for creating sustainable, affordable housing developments that provide residents with safe and comfortable living conditions while changing the stigma of these types of housing.

Josh is from Seaside, OR and owns a home in Springfield, OR near a proposed manufactured housing community. He has a bachelor of arts in media communications with a minor in liberal studies from Oregon State University and is pursuing a master of architecture at the UO.

Willy Benjamin’s project looks at the feasibility of incorporating biogenic materials into conventional construction to sequester carbon and reduce the embodied energy of the built environment. With buildings contributing to nearly 40 percent of global energy-related CO₂ emissions, regenerative buildings have the potential to significantly reduce the negative impact on the environment. His project aims to explore the barriers to and opportunities for the implementation of proven, yet alternative building materials.

Willy is originally from Hotchkiss, CO and served in the Peace Corps in Senegal. He has a bachelor of arts in international studies with minors in French, writing, and rhetoric from Trinity College and is pursuing a master of architecture at the UO.

About the PIVOT Fellowship

The PIVOT Fellowship is a means of fostering original thought about issues outside the daily routine or obvious future trajectory of our firm’s thought process. PIVOT selects fellows based on the nature of their project proposal and other factors. It is a paid position and the term runs from June until September. The fellowship is open to students for the summer preceding their final year of study at the University of Oregon. The fellows’ projects constitute half of the candidates’ responsibilities. Fellows will also be incorporated into PIVOT project teams for the duration of their term.

After 30 years of guiding some of the firm’s notable projects and leading us with talent, laughter, and humility, Principal Larry Banks has decided to step away from PIVOT Architecture.

His departure comes on the heels of a four-month sabbatical that allowed him to step back from work in order to rest, recharge, and reflect. An outdoor enthusiast, he also spent more than a month hiking and backpacking all over the wildernesses of the West with his dog Rainier. During his time off, he came to many realizations, among which is he needed more time to reflect on what should come next.

He insists he is not retiring but has no immediate plans. So, we expect to see him roaming the wilderness, working on his house, and baking treats!

“I am sincerely grateful to everyone at PIVOT for the opportunity to craft a career practicing architecture as well as building relationships with clients, contractors, consultants, and the broader community,” Larry said. “I feel called to forge a new path, but have not yet discovered where that will lead.”

Soon after graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor’s in Architecture, Larry joined PIVOT in 1993, becoming a principal in 2008. His resume is thick with notable projects including fire stations, public utility campuses, nonprofit renovations, higher ed facilities, and so many more we can’t possibly do his resume justice. For every project, Larry executed the clients’ goals with humility, grace, and quiet confidence.

While he was on sabbatical, the five other PIVOT principals collaborated on Larry’s projects assuring clients their projects were covered. Moving forward, the firm’s 30 architects, designers, and professionals will pick up where Larry left off and ensure continued project success.

“Larry has been a fabulous mentor to so many of us over the years,” said Principal Kari Turner. “His willingness to help and ability to teach the importance of the details have benefited our projects, our clients, and staff alike.”

Larry hasn’t just been a fixture at PIVOT, he has been heavily involved in the Eugene-Springfield community, serving on boards and committees including the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce’s Local Government Affairs Council, Eugene Rotary, the Eugene Education Foundation, Envision Eugene, and more.

“Larry taught me the power of maintaining strong working relationships,” said Principal Toby Barwood. “His good-natured demeanor, and easy, approachable style helped him build trust with clients over the years.”

Larry subscribes to the “don’t sweat the small stuff” philosophy and makes an effort to bring enjoyment on all levels into his projects. He brings design excellence to architecture while also incorporating the appropriate level of empathy, compassion, and laughter—often embracing his inner “Cookie Monster” silly side—into his leadership style.

“We will miss Larry like a child learning to ride a bike misses their training wheels,” Kari said. “We’ll know he’s not there but we’ll ride-on without him, aware of how much we learned with his steady presence.”

Larry doesn’t know what his next steps will be but all of us at PIVOT wish him nothing but the very best and will sorely miss working with, learning from, and being inspired by him. Cheers to the next adventure!