West Linn presents operations complex design update emphasizing wetlands, mass plywood and resilience

West Linn city staff and project architects presented an update on the proposed Public Works Operations Complex at the City Council work session on May 5, outlining environmental design choices, construction procurement timelines and resilience measures.

The city’s project manager, Eric (city staff), told council the design team is “roughly 70% design completion” and that the city is scoring Construction Manager/General Contractor (CMGC) submittals this week, after receiving 14 proposals from national and regional firms.

The update focused on several design priorities the team said guided recent changes: preservation of an on-site wetland and ravine, breaking the program into three smaller buildings rather than one large structure to avoid wetland impacts, and specifying sustainable materials and systems. Architect Jeff Dunn and consultant Brandon Dole of Scott Edwards Architecture described a concept that uses cross‑laminated timber or mass plywood for primary structure, photovoltaic arrays over a warehouse and carport, and a layout that orients buildings to view the preserved ravine.

“We chose to celebrate [the wetland]…and instead of seeing the wetland as something that was a challenge or a problem, we chose to celebrate it,” the architect…