Wow

PIVOT Architecture is Now 20% Ks

Eugene, OR—PIVOT Architecture is happy to welcome two new people to our team. With the hires of KC Eck and Kyle O’Hearn, K-named people now make up about 20% of the PIVOT population with A-names a distant second at 13%.

Architect KC Eck
KC joins the PIVOT team after working in the Eugene area for the past two years. KC earned his bachelor degree in architecture from the University of Texas at San Antonio and his Master of Architecture from the University of Oregon in 2018. KC is passionate about net zero/net positive architecture intertwining his knowledge into his work. He is a registered architect in Oregon with three years of experience. Living in Eugene has resulted in KC becoming an outdoor enthusiast and a major Oregon Duck fan.

Designer Kyle O’Hearn
Kyle joins PIVOT after working as a project engineer in construction. Beginning at age sixteen in construction, Kyle has learned to incorporate his passion for sustainability into his architectural career. He has a Bachelor of Science in Conservation Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison as well as a master’s degree in architecture from the University of Oregon. Kyle enjoys traveling to new places and spending time outdoors during his down time.

PIVOT has a history of making K-named hires. The firm has matched its record level of six K-named employees. KC and Kyle join Karen, Kari, Kelley, and Katie to cement control over the ceremonial moniker.

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Groundbreaking DDS Facility

PIVOT was excited to participate, golden shovel in hand, in the groundbreaking for Lane County’s new 26,000-SF Developmental Disabilities Services Facility.

The new building will be a welcoming and easy to navigate facility which will serve some of the most vulnerable people in our community.

Karen Gaffney, director of Lane County Health & Human Services Department, said, “The County is making a statement with this building.” She is proud to be part of building which will, “provide services for 3,000 of the most vulnerable people in the community. It shows that our people are worthy. Investing in community and staff is an important message,” she said.

Carla Tazumal, program manager for Lane County Developmental Disabilities department, commended PIVOT’s creativity and ability to design the facility during pandemic. “They figured out how to see materials in open air,” she said.

As Lane County Commissioner Joe Berney noted at the ceremony, this is one of the first facilities designed and built under the County’s community dignity protocol which promotes equity in the County’s design and construction practices.

Learn more about the DDS building which is slated to open in 2022.

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Sketching Skills

We changed up our weekly all-staff meeting by grabbing our pens and pencils and sharpening up on our sketching skills. By sharing our different experiences and techniques, we improved our architectural skill by drawing different exercises together. These are a few examples from our talented team:

 
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Reflecting on 2020

As the tumultuous year winds down and 2021 quickly approaches, we find ourselves reflecting. Despite the remote work learning curve and other challenges, we managed to meet milestones for projects as near as Eugene and as far away as Seattle. We’ve also been fortunate enough to land important new work, small and large, to solidify our prospects heading into the new year. Here are some of our observations:

    • The strength and resilience of our community in times of crisis is awe inspiring.
    • We can still practice architecture remotely, just with friendly “you’re muted” reminders.
    • After months stuck at home, we realized how precious our light-filled, cheery office really is.
    • We can work just fine without printing as much.
    • On Zoom, people can’t see our lower half—hooray for sweatpants and slippers at work!
    • Masks are a way to help protect but can also be a creative outlet.
    • Connecting in person with our team on a camping trip and outdoor field games was made more special.
    • We’re hooked on homemade sourdough.
    • Our dogs love us being home. Cats, not so much.
    • We dearly miss our coworkers, our community, and connections we make as humans.
    • Living in an area surrounded by such natural beauty is wonderous.
    • More time at home with our families and daily lunch dates with our spouses is something to cherish.