Insight

Mayor Kaarin Visits PIVOT

With Eugene’s new mayor, Kaarin Knudson—a card-carrying architect—eager to engage with the community, we were thrilled to welcome her into the PIVOT office. Her visit was not only insightful but enlightening.

The way she sees it, being an architect has been an advantage as she gets used to the new job. Her professional training helps her navigate the technical complexity and interconnected systems that come with civic leadership. Being invested in the built environment and building culture is a collective effort and reflects how many in the design profession think about progression.

“With concentrations of positive energy, we can make an impact,” she said, urging PIVOT employees to make their voices heard in the community.

“It’s important that you stay engaged in public conversation enabling insights with professional opinions,” she said. “Let’s get energy moving in a productive way.”

Downtown Eugene: A Work in Progress

The potential of downtown Eugene and its role in the community has been a struggle for decades, she said. There are multi-layered reasons to how it’s gotten to its current state and one contributor is the lack of useful concentrations of housing downtown.

Having spent a decade deeply engaged in housing in our community, bringing a concentration of residential presence downtown is a priority for her.
“We could have a new trajectory of housing in downtown with rezoning and other efforts,” Mayor Kaarin said.

Mayor Kaarin pointed out that Eugene doesn’t have neighborhoods like those in other mid-sized cities. The large city block sizes in Eugene’s city center with designated uses impacts activation of the street edge.

“There are so many broken teeth in the downtown area,” she said referring to the abundance of inactive space. “There are no eyes on certain pockets.”

“We have some bright spots, but we are really struggling. We need to bring more people downtown,” she said. “There is a lot of work to do with public realm,” she said.

Public Safety: Shifting the Experience

Mayor Kaarin pointed out that the public safety metrics downtown are improving but the experience and the narrative have not shifted. “Public vs. private controlled spaces and civil rights are components contributing to the public safety issue,” she said.

“We have a lot of issues that compound the pushing people to the margins,” she said. Addiction, behavioral health, mental issues, and repeat offenders challenge resource allocation and are all contributors. “We need a compassionate but effective response,” she said.

City Government: Many Irons in the Fire

The issues the City of Eugene is dealing with are challenging and with multiple systems struggling it is creating huge crises. The City needs to work on more than one thing at a time with many irons in the fire creating policy decisions that affect multiple fronts.

“The City of Eugene should be an active partner to development of all sorts,” she said.

City-level budget conversations in coming months will be key with incredibly challenging budget and funding situations. “Tariffs and executive actions at the federal level are not insignificant for the City of Eugene,” she said.

Looking Ahead

While Eugene faces challenges, Mayor Kaarin still feels optimist about the future. “We need sustaining levels of positive energy,” she said.

Four months into her administration, the 40th mayor of Eugene is still getting her feet under her. But she insists she isn’t overloaded and “drinking from the firehose.”
“It’s more like drinking from a beautifully designed water feature,” she said with a smile.

News

The 2026 PIVOT Fellow

Over the last decade, significant attention has been focused on housing across the nation, however accommodations for agricultural workers are often overlooked. Through her project, PIVOT’s 2026 Fellow will explore how architecture can support, preserve, and celebrate the vibrancy of the communities of agricultural workers.

Aileen Carrillo, a fourth-year Interior Architecture student at the University of Oregon, will investigate models of agricultural worker housing through her project, Transborder Homes: Rethinking Agricultural Worker Housing.

In many of the Northwest’s agricultural regions, workers are provided with housing which acts as a temporary home during seasonal work. Current agricultural housing models are often lacking the basic resources needed to support daily life, such as fully-equipped kitchens or areas for gathering, cooking, and maintaining cultural routines.

Aileen seeks to explore new models of flexible, community‑centered agricultural housing with spaces that are shaped by the people who inhabit them as well as connected to the land they work and the cultural networks that support them. By reimagining what migrant worker housing could be, this project aims to move beyond notions of adequacy and toward environments that foster dignity, comfort, functionality, and beauty.

Drawing from firsthand observations of migrant worker conditions while growing up in cherry orchard communities in The Dalles, Oregon, Aileen seeks to challenge long-standing assumptions about temporary labor housing and propose alternatives that better support the people who inhabit them.

She will examine how these environments can be reimagined to support a diverse range of residents—from single workers to multi-generational families from disparate countries—while fostering a sense of belonging and cultural continuity.

Through the lens of transborder communities—social and cultural networks that extend beyond geographic boundaries—Aileen aims to design housing that reflects and celebrates the identities of migrant workers. Her research will include case studies of agricultural housing in the Pacific Northwest, analysis of Oregon’s regulatory framework for labor housing, and interviews with workers to better understand the social and cultural dynamics that shape the daily lives of agricultural workers.

By integrating these insights, Aileen will explore flexible, community-centered housing models that move beyond minimum standards toward spaces that prioritize comfort, connection, and resilience. Her work seeks to demonstrate how architecture can support not just shelter, but the well-being and cultural expression of communities whose labor is essential to the region.

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 the 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 are also incorporated into PIVOT project teams for the duration of their term, gaining real-world experience working side-by-side with design teams.

Wow

PIVOT’s Newest Associate, Burke Wardle!

PIVOT Architecture is thrilled to announce that Burke Wardle, AIA, has been promoted to Associate! Eight years ago, he started at PIVOT as a designer, and now, Burke will help lead PIVOT’s transit sector, advancing public transportation in communities across Oregon, Washington, Utah, and beyond.

Burke is fueled by building better communities, whether he’s shaping the future of transit architecture, designing inspiring schools, or tackling projects’ unexpected twists and turns.

“In his eight years at PIVOT, Burke has really come into his own,” Principal John Stapleton said. “He takes everything we’ve thrown at him in stride. He’s got a rock-solid grasp of the nuances on transit design and we’re excited as he emerges in a leadership role for this important sector.”

Burke earned his Bachelor of Architecture from Woodbury University and has 15 years of experience. He became a licensed architect in 2019.

Thoughtful design thinking allows him to balance creativity with pragmatism, delivering solutions that are responsive to budget and schedule. Whether addressing straightforward building details or managing the layered demands of complex transit stations, Burke’s approach reflects a deep technical understanding paired with sound judgment.

“If I want a broad-minded, well-reasoned, and informed take on a design challenge I think of Burke,” Principal Toby Barwood said. “His high-altitude thinking is refreshing, but he can also flip his lens and get hyper-focused when detail wrangling is in order. He leads by example with the temperament and aptitude of seasoned professional.”

We’re excited to see where this next stretch of the road takes him as he helps steer PIVOT forward.

“I’m honored and humbled to step into this role as an associate,” Burke said. “The legacy that PIVOT has established through its 70 years is something I’m proud to help carry forward.”

Reach Burke at bwardle@pivotarchitecture.com.

Some of Burke’s key projects:

 

 

Wow

Toby Barwood, Celebrating 30 Years of Ideas at PIVOT!

Thirty years ago, the first flip phones went on sale, the Spice Girls released their debut album, and Bill Clinton was re-elected president.

It also was when Toby Barwood, who touted his fluency with Microsoft Excel 4.0, joined PIVOT (then WBGS). He cited career goals of improving the nature of Northwest cities through architecture and to, “Generally, solve more problems than I create.”

Thirty years on, Toby has led us on an adventure of endless creativity. He’s designed buildings that stand tall with purpose, spaces that feel like a hug, timeless transit stations, and conference rooms that seem to generate great ideas out of thin air.

“The ideas behind architecture are what intrigue me,” Toby said. “Architecture based on ideas tends to be more successful. When we’re able to weave together multiple ideas into a physical, functional form that resonates with clients and allows them to see their values in their project.”

One thing that makes his 30-year (and counting!) journey remarkable isn’t just the spaces he’s brought to life, it’s the spirit he brings to our team. His love for architecture is contagious, his curiosity is endless, and his ability to grasp the big picture and the smallest design detail simultaneously is inspiring.

“You’ve led us with a steady hand, a guiding presence, and an unmatched level of creativity,” Principal Kelley Howell said. “When your whimsical sense of humor shines through it brightens the room.”

“Toby, you’re one of a kind,” said Principal John Stapleton.

He joined the firm when drafting tables were de rigueur and “cut and paste” involved actual scissors. Through changing trends starting with hand-drawn drafts, the charge of CAD, and the rise of Revit, Toby has applied his intellect overseeing PIVOT’s technology efforts. When a login fails, the WiFi crashes, or a password is needed, Toby is our first call. To commemorate his milestone, we rewarded him with a wireless set of a golden mouse and keyboard.

“I’ve been honored to work side-by-side with Toby since I was hired more than 25 years ago,” said Associate Scott Clarke. “And what has amazed me is the kindness and patience that he has always displayed.”

Here’s to thirty years of drafting, dreaming, and daring to design differently. We’re celebrating the steady hand and imaginative heart that has helped shape PIVOT’s portfolio and culture and are looking forward to Toby’s continued ideas, kind mentorship, and laughter in the years to come.