Oregon College of Oriental Medicine – Portland, Oregon
Services Employed: Architectural Design, Interior Design, Sustainable Design
CLIENT: OCOM
CLIENT GOAL: A new home for the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM), one of the oldest Oriental Medicine Colleges in the United States.
DESIGN RESPONSE: The project is located at the corner of Northwest Couch and First Avenue in the existing Globe Hotel. This 4-story 35,160 sf building is a Contributing Structure to the Historic Old Town Chinatown Neighborhood. The Globe Hotel will be fully restored and a 4,330 sf rooftop addition will be added with decks, a green roof, and herb garden. The building will receive a full seismic upgrade and be brought to current codes. There will be site improvements on the east side of the building with allowance for a future pedestrian way as part of a proposed 6 story office building over a below grade parking structure on the remainder of the block. In addition to classrooms and offices associated with the College, the fourth floor features an oriental medicine clinic open to the public six days a week. The ground floor offers active-use and retail spaces that will interface with the Old Town Chinatown Neighborhood. Organization of the building has been defined according to Feng Shui principles. The project is targeting LEED Gold certification.
OCOM has more than 20 years experience in teaching, guiding and advancing wellness. They are a nonprofit educational institution dedicated to advancing health care and the art of healing. Founded in 1983 in Portland, Oregon the College is one the first Oriental medicine colleges in the U.S. to provide instruction at a master’s level. In 2005, they became the first college in the nation to graduate doctors of acupuncture and oriental medicine.
