Masonry Magazine September 1972 Page. 12
Rugged natural surroundings form a beautiful backdrop for the Lamb-Weston building. Below is a shot of the entranceway.
LAMB-WESTON, INC.
Portland, Oregon
Architects: Robert Koch & Associates, AΙΑ
Structural Engineer: Arthur M. James
General Contractor: Hoffman Construction Co.
Mason Contractor: Merle Schroeder (MCAA)
A remarkable new corporate office building perhaps the first of its kind in the nation is the new home of Lamb-Weston, Inc., a major food processor based in Portland, Ore.
Its planners and builders refer to it more as an acoustical engineering feat than a construction project. And, they say, it could be a leading influence on office building design for years to come.
The structure incorporates the expression of total office "landscaping" in its over-all design, a concept pioneered in Europe. The objective is to create an office environment that is both remarkably efficient and exceptionally attractive.
Key to the Lamb-Weston facility is that there is an unusual degree of both visual and acoustical privacy through the placement of curved acoustical screens, various planters and sound-deadening furniture from which the "landscaping" terminology evolved. The furniture is from a special line created for landscaped offices, with reduced vertical surface areas. Instead of conventional partitioned offices, more than half of the total 23,000 square footage is comprised of work "centers" within low curved walls.
The building is situated in a rustic, densely wooded area. The wooden facade and brick panel walls have been designed to blend with the naturally rugged setting. The cavity, non-loadbearing walls of concrete block and face brick are 12" thick with a 1" air space for acoustical and insulation value. Paving brick was used in the entry and court areas to maintain the informal atmosphere of the beautiful surroundings.
masonry • September, 1972