DORRIS RANCH EVENT CENTER
Springfield, OR
University of Oregon
Fall 2011
University of Oregon
Fall 2011
The event center is a small building nestled into the edge of an orchard on Dorris Ranch in Springfield, Oregon with two opposing roofs that reach upward past the tops of the trees to draw people into the structure. The event center was designed to hold large events was designed to hold large events such as weddings and memorial services for up to 250 people in the historical Dorris Ranch, and provides an open place for the community to gather in addition to the existing barn and Briggs welcome center. The building is organized into three parts; the main gathering space, entry space, and the secondary and service rooms. Each of these is contained under a separate roof. In the gathering space, the roof soars upward past the surrounding trees and creates a strong connection to the outside with delicate wood framed windows. Two heavy walls anchor the corner of the space and are only nine feet tall while the opposite corner reaches up twenty-seven feet with floor to ceiling windows to blur the divide between the inside and outside and expose the wooden trusses and structural systems that hold the building together.
The same system of short opaque walls and tall open windows is used in the entry space. Spatially, the building is organized by a series square bays: the columns reflect the pattern in the filbert orchards covering Dorris Ranch, and create an order that contrasts the irregular roof. In the entry area, the columns create a system for different functions, without intrusive walls. The services spaces are below grade, which accentuates the two roofs, highlights the size of the main gathering space, and sequesters the busy and loud atmosphere of the kitchen and restrooms away from the ceremonies.
The same system of short opaque walls and tall open windows is used in the entry space. Spatially, the building is organized by a series square bays: the columns reflect the pattern in the filbert orchards covering Dorris Ranch, and create an order that contrasts the irregular roof. In the entry area, the columns create a system for different functions, without intrusive walls. The services spaces are below grade, which accentuates the two roofs, highlights the size of the main gathering space, and sequesters the busy and loud atmosphere of the kitchen and restrooms away from the ceremonies.
The structure of the building is based on a concrete slab-on-grade system, which is carried through to the lower level. Atop the columns are trusses that span the width of the structure, then beams, sheathing, insulation, and finally a metal roofing. The outside walls form an envelope around the columns. The long windows stretch between the wooden frames, with four panels between each row of columns, exposing the trusses and roof structure. The concrete base reaches out of the ground and forms the bottom two feet of the window walls.
All images © Nicole Levy