SERA Architects

🌿 LEED Gold for Modera Raleigh Hills!

We’re proud to share that Modera Raleigh Hills has officially been awarded LEED Gold certification through the LEED for Homes program—certified by U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)! This achievement reflects the hard work and collaboration between SERA Architects, Mill Creek Residential, and the entire project team.

From energy-efficient systems to sustainable design strategies, every detail in this Beaverton project was guided by our shared commitment to creating healthy, high-performance residential spaces.

Big thanks to everyone who helped bring this vision to life!

Affordable housing is both necessary for our community & beautiful! 😍
Tiller Terrace is a mixed-use, six-story midrise that provides 214 affordable apartments servicing households earning less than 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI). In partnership with R&H Construction Co. & Tello Interiors, SERA designed this new housing option in SW Portland, located right on the MAX line with gorgeous high-ceiling apartments, a community room, and retail on the ground floor!

We take sustainability *very* seriously at SERA. 🍃
With 66 LEED-certified projects (including 44 Platinum and Gold) we have in-house sustainability experts who can help elevate any project. We love gnarly problems, so whether it's an existing building or a ground-up project, we find ways to lighten the impact on our environment in different ways.

SERA HQ appreciation post ✨ It's all in the details.

Leading by example, SERA’s team designed our own
headquarters in the historic Galleria building, curating a space staff would want to work
in with lofty sustainability goals. Not only does our space reflect innovative workplace strategy, but it also captures major sustainability achievements for an existing building, including LEED Platinum Certification, Targeting LBC Core
Materials Petal, WELL Platinum, ILFI Zero Carbon, and being a finalist for the Stephen Kellert Biophilia Award Finalist.

Visit https://pulse.ly/a5nhako2sl to learn more about our work!

SERA has 2 offices — our Bay Area office located in Oakland, CA and SERA HQ in Portland, OR — but we've done projects all over the United States and internationally. We're versatile like that.

Here's a look at a few of our standout projects across Oregon, and all the states where our architects & designers have provided work. If you're in one of the spots we haven't & love sustainable design, contact us! Seeing new places is on our 2025 Bucket List. 😉

Hey Siri... play "Endless Love" by Lionel Richie & Diana Ross 😍
Happy Valentine's Day everybody! 💟 We've got love on the brain today and are reminiscing on the opening of Heartwood Apartments last summer.
This project, part of the first phase of the Eugene River District plan, was completed and opened in June 2024. Designed by SERA with a total of 225 units across 323,000 sf, it is not only welcoming and beautiful, but also FitWEL and Earth Advantage Platinum certified. Done in partnership with Atkins Dame Developers and Thrive Communities.

Responsible materials sourcing is important for architecture and design down to the very basics. In this part of the Mass Timber Realities series, SERA's in-house mass timber expert Josh Cabot shares how he's been working with people across the country to develop a Mass Timber Transparency Pledge, asking North American mass timber manufacturers to commit to providing more specific information about where they are sourcing their wood. Learn more at the link below:

https://pulse.ly/ts86pgvbnc

We feel lucky to have such special wine country in the Pacific Northwest & sometimes it just feels right to cozy up in the crisp winter with a nice pinot noir. 🍷
If you're looking for a new spot, check out Argyle Winery in Dundee! SERA's design of the tasting house and site is inspired by the elements of Oregon. Native Douglas fir discovered during deconstruction was
used to make all of the new shelving, tables, paneling and
the long bar of the tasting house. In addition to the tasting
room, it has a climate-controlled wine library
showcasing more than 4,000 bottles: the Tirage Library,
which displays vintage sparkling wines still aging on the yeast.

Google's first mass timber building by MGA & SERA got a shout out in this article by CURBED about the glorious possibilities of the material! We love using mass timber and are always excited to see more interest in it.

"Wood is inherently pleasing: complex, grained, satisfying to touch, and gratifying to smell. Mass timber is pleasing because of the qualities it can assume — delicate, powerful, supple, rugged, cozy, and polished — and its resonance with forests, shipbuilding, and even the childhood joy of simply waving a stick. It has the capacity to conjure innumerable forms of beauty. So far, though, the revolution has been quiet."

Imagining a City of Wood Mass timber could revolutionize construction, if only New York would embrace it. We commissioned four projects to show what it can do.

Great news! 🎉 The Mountain View City Council has approved the development of 675 & 685 E Middlefield Road. This project, in partnership with Prometheus Real Estate Group & STUDIOS Architecture, will transform of a 10-acre single-use parcel into a new walkable enclave in the East Whisman area.

The project aims to create a forward-thinking urban space that prioritizes holistic placemaking, people-centric design, and practical urban functionality, while creating much-needed housing in the Bay Area. In alignment with the city's Specific Plan, this development will bring 800+ housing units, 260,000 square feet of office space, and an expansive open space network totaling over 2.5 acres!

https://www.mv-voice.com/city-government/2024/12/18/mountain-view-greenlights-massive-housing-office-development-in-east-whisman-area/

Mass timber is not just a more sustainable building solution — it can also lead to incredibly beautiful architecture.

In our series "Mass Timber Realities," Architect Josh Cabot reflects on how it's grown, and the challenges it's faced as an industry. 🌲 "The results have been stunning, with a cascade of innovative approaches being tested in real time, and the inherent beauty of exposed wood being lauded by designers and clients alike."

More: https://www.seradesign.com/news-insights/mass-timber-realities-birth-pangs-of-an-industry

Joy is resilient, and gratitude is energizing! As we look back on the last year, we are grateful for all the new partnerships we've made, and excited at the prospect of what's to come!

Wishing you all happy holidays this season, and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!
#2025