For the 2022 Fellowship, PIVOT Architecture’s program designed to let a University of Oregon student explore a research project of their choosing and work within our team, we are trying something different.

Rather than bring in an architecture or interior architecture student, the 2022 PIVOT Fellow Matilda Jereza is entering her last year studying product design.

While product design falls outside the traditional role of architectural design, “The dedications are very similar,” Matilda points out. “Ultimately the goal of your firm aligns with the mission of product design: We both are looking to solve issues through our creative privilege of design.”

For Matilda’s research project, she will be working with PIVOT’s transit group exploring how amenities related to transit stations and bus stops can further the public experience. She hopes to develop prototypes that can be incorporated into transit projects that enhance the urban experience.
“I want to join that innovative lead for change in the best way that both you and I know how,” she said. “Through design.”

Matilda is an Oregon native having grown up in Coos Bay and Eugene. She’ll be part of the PIVOT staff until returning for her final year of study at the UO in September.

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 Architecture selects one fellow per year partially based on the nature of their project proposal. It is a paid position and the term runs from June until September.

The PIVOT Fellowship is open to BARCH, BIARCH, MARCH, and MIARCH students for the summer preceding their final year of study at the University of Oregon. One student is selected following an application process that includes review of the candidates’ proposals for a project of their choice to be executed over the summer of the fellowship.
For more information or to apply for the position, click here.

The Eugene Family YMCA held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new 75,000-SF flagship facility which PIVOT Architecture is designing.

“This is special and unique for each of us,” said CEO Brian Stephan. “It shows we can dream big and create projects that seem might insurmountable. It will inspire our community for generations to come.”

“It takes a village of people to rise a Y,” joked Joe Carmichael, YMCA board president, alluding to the iconic “YMCA” song by the Village People.

In the new facility, the Y will be able to double the number of people it serves in its current building, built in 1955. It is designed to give the Y the ability to adapt spaces to fit its offerings which will increase the impact of its youth, health, and wellness programs for decades.

The new building will boast:
• Health & wellness areas including an indoor track and spin room
• A robust aquatics center with a lap pool, exercise pool, and splash pad for younger kids
• Activity centers for academic tutoring, maker spaces, and learning labs
• A teaching kitchen for nutritional and food preparation instruction
• Accessible, flexible floor plans that can change as needed
• The highest level of seismic standards so the building can serve as a community shelter after a disaster

The Eugene Family YMCA is the largest childcare provider in Eugene with afterschool care at 20 elementary schools with three more schools served at the Y facility.

Sabrina Parsons, chair of the Y’s capital campaign, said the new facility will help draw new residents looking at this area’s quality of life and improve Eugene’s “Y effect” as a center of the community.

The Y’s heath and wellness programs are some its most popular. Along with fitness, spin, and yoga classes, the Y has programs designed for cancer survivors, for those who suffer from chronic health conditions, a diabetes prevention program, and programs for seniors.

The facility is being built by Chambers Construction and is slated to open in December of 2023.

The PIVOT Y team strikes the “YMCA” pose on construction equipment.