SAJ Architecture

10/29/2026

10/27/2026

🎉 Our team recently completed design development of Irrigon Jr./Sr. High School.

Irrigon was known as Stokes until 1905, when the town took a new name that combined the first four letters of “irrigation” with the last three letters of “Oregon,” a way of advertising the water rights that made farming possible in the community. The concept of growth runs throughout the Irrigon Jr./Sr. High School project, expressed through abundant natural daylight, the use of wood, and other motifs drawn from agriculture. Even the structure takes its inspiration from the tensile form of the center-pivot systems used to irrigate farmland in the area. We see this facility as a place where students and the community can grow together.

10/23/2026

Let’s talk about how we heal.

In the wake of the Silver Rail Elementary shooting, we’re opening the Hop Mahal for a free community conversation about grief, recovery, and the path forward.

Students, parents, school staff, and the entire community are welcome.

Frank Zenere, Ed.S. spent 31 years on Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ crisis team and has helped communities recover following the tragedies at Sandy Hook, Parkland, Uvalde, and Pulse nightclub.

He’ll discuss:

• Helping children and adults cope
• Spotting behavioral struggles early
• Moving forward through the challenges ahead
• The pathway to recovery and wellness
• Prevention strategies for families and schools

Bring your questions, your worries, and your stories.

Friday, October 23 | 4:30–6:30 PM
Hop Mahal at Worthy Brewing
495 NE Bellevue Dr., Bend
All Ages | No RSVP Required

If you need support now, call or text 988, or contact the Deschutes County Crisis Line at 541-322-7500 ext. 9.

10/19/2026

Please join us! We are celebrating our Portland office's new location with an open house on Friday, Oct. 30, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Appetizers and beverages will be served.

Location:
SĀJ Architecture PDX
350 SE Mill St., Ste. 13
Portland, OR 97214

(In the Glass Lab Building)

Please RSVP to Trisha at [email protected].

10/16/2026

Bend is grieving. Please check on your neighbors, hug your children and other loved ones, and thank the teachers, leaders, and first responders who are caring for our community.

10/08/2026

Our team recently completed schematic design (SD) for Riverside Jr./Sr. High School in Boardman, Oregon, for Morrow County School District.

During SD, architects synthesize information gathered from stakeholders during predesign and translate it into preliminary spatial layouts and visual concepts. It’s also a time for us to do building code and land-use research.

The plan for Riverside renovates the existing 87,400-square-foot school and adds a two-story, 31,840-square-foot gymnasium and a 6,614-square-foot classroom addition. New doors and windows throughout will meet current energy codes, and restrooms and door hardware will be upgraded to meet accessibility standards. The CTE building gets updated power distribution and dust collection. Site work reorganizes visitor and student parking at the main entry and adds a new staff lot, bus drop-off drive, and walkways.

The main entry becomes a gathering place for students. A separate athletics entry creates a self-contained facility for after-hours visitors. The student commons prioritizes capacity and flexibility.

Project priorities include stewardship of taxpayer dollars. One example in practice: After analyzing the building’s construction across multiple past additions, our team identified a simpler code path for fire and life safety protection, which received City of Boardman approval. Our solution offers a more effective construction process and better protects both the budget and occupants.

We also unearthed a bit of history during our research. The original school, built in 1968, was designed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Now, onward to design development!

Wenaha Group
Bouten Construction
IMEG, formerly WRK Engineers
Interface Engineering, Inc.
Apex
Connetix EngineeringPBS Engineers, Inc.
Laurus Designs
PLA Designs, INC
Halliday Associates
Listen Acoustics

09/17/2026

Congratulations to Scott Winters on being selected to participate in Leadership Bend's Class of 2027!

As a job captain at SĀJ Architecture, Scott designs projects ranging from multifamily housing to K-12 schools. He is currently working on the Heppner K-12 School conversion and modernization for Morrow County School District and Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity's Westcliff Homes, an affordable housing neighborhood in southwest Redmond.

Since 2018, Scott has also served on the City of Bend, Oregon Government Planning Commission, which provides recommendations to city council on amendments to Bend's comprehensive plan and development code.

Leadership Bend is a nine-month community leadership program run by the Bend Chamber to educate and connect emerging Central Oregon leaders. Previous Leadership Bend graduates at SĀJ include Principal Architect Seth Anderson, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, Project Manager Amy McCarthy Smith, and Project Architect Nathanael Werner.

09/16/2026

We want to take a moment to thank Morrow County School District and Wenaha Group for inviting us to speak during the district's staff in-service day at the Sage Center prior to the start of the school year.

During the presentation, our principal architects, Jonah Jensen, Amy Vohs, and Seth Anderson, each shared updates about progress made on Irrigon Jr./Sr. High School, Riverside Jr./Sr. High School, and Heppner K-12 School. Afterward, SĀJ project managers Amy McCarthy Smith and Angela Cutright-Crooks joined the principal architects to field questions about each school.

Throughout predesign, we ran joint engagement sessions for all three schools. While a big undertaking ("All hands on deck!" as the Riverside Pirates might say!), the process ended up being both productive and a whole lot of fun. The Design Advisory Committee's foundational work has helped guide us to ensure the new and updated schools reflect the identity and needs of the communities they serve.