Wingspan Event and Conference Center project receives award

For Immediate Release: Thursday, February 25, 2021

The Structural Engineers Association of Oregon (SEAO) recently announced that Washington County’s new Wingspan Event and Conference Center has been honored with their 2020 Excellence in Structural Engineering Award in the “New Building Over $20 million” category. The annual award honors outstanding structural engineering advancement through innovative design, engineering achievement and creativity.

According to the County’s Facilities and Parks Services Capital Improvement Project Manager Geoffrey Kavulya, “Several features and materials set the project apart and contributed to this prestigious award. Noteworthy attributes include the center’s distinctive roof design which evokes the imagery of aircraft at nearby Hillsboro Airport, while the building’s silhouette mirrors the profile of the coastal mountain range in the distance. We’re extremely grateful to LRS Architects for their vision and creativity in designing a facility that is truly magnificent. Our colleagues at Swinerton Builders , IMEG Engineering Consultants , as well as many other project contributors, took that design and made it come to life.”

Key features which won recognition from SEAO include the project’s use of long-span steel truss work combined with Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) roof panels and large glue-laminated timber (glulam) beams. The use of rolled steel “mega-trusses” spanning 169 feet eliminated the need for columns, thus allowing for flexible, unbroken exhibition space. The CLT and glulams provide a striking interior finish which accentuate the sloped roof exterior and maintain a clean aesthetic to the perimeter galleries, corridors and open lobby.

The Wingspan Event and Conference Center was completed in September of 2020. It has not yet been fully utilized due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will begin operating in a limited capacity this spring, under approved guidelines from the Oregon Health Authority.

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