Holst Architecture designed Ziba Design's new headquarters in Portland's Pearl District

To accommodate a firm like Ziba Design, a building must have ample space for creativity. Ziba's new headquarters, at 1044 N.W. Ninth Ave., will include plenty of desk space but also a generous supply of space to accommodate serendipitous brainstorming.

John Holmes, a founding partner of Holst

For Holst Architecture, the job presented a chance to create space for a highly creative company. "It was a rare opportunity to work with an open-minded company like Ziba," said Holmes. "Those opportunities don't come along every day. We worked well with them and it was a great exchange of ideas."

The 76,000-square-foot building at Ninth Avenue and Marshall Street in the Pearl District will be finished in August. Ziba, which provides strategic design and innovation consultancy, has been in the Pearl District since 1996 and currently uses two buildings on Northwest 11th Avenue. Ken Dieringer, an engineering and technical services director with Ziba, said the firm has been planning the move since 2005.

On a recent tour of the building, Dieringer said the building will feature a range of multimedia features such as wireless internet, digital sketch boards on walls and a 275-seat auditorium for Ziba and for public design events. It will also have a library on the third floor, a cafe area and an outdoor deck.

The building will have 8,000 square feet of office space for lease and 18,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. The move-in date is Aug. 10.

One of the most striking features of the interior is the corridor along the north side of the building, with a ceiling that stretches two floors. Holmes said the light-filled corridor, which faces Union Center railroad tracks (about 100 yards away), is called "the street."

"There (is) a sequence of spaces as you move down the street," said Holmes, referring to the project rooms just off the corridor.

The main entrance for Ziba will be on the Ninth Avenue side, and a grand staircase will lead to the reception lobby. Just to the left at the top of the stairs will be a 20-person conference room facing Ninth Avenue. On the Ninth Avenue side of the third floor will be a "window bar" to take in the view.

The view on the north side will eventually be partially blocked by a new building, but Dieringer said it's too soon to know what shape that building will be. He said the Ziba building was designed with the knowledge that at least some of the north view will be obscured, yet the area will still get plenty of natural light.

The Ninth Avenue glass facade will have a "picture frame," in which the two stories of glass are set back within the frame, said Holmes.

"It's a very simple building, but also quite bold, I would say," said Holmes. "The large picture-frame-like composition creates a sense that this is the front of the building. This is the formal front. It extends over the sidewalk and creates an overhang to the retail and helps the building have a bit more presence."

Dieringer said the building is designed to earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold certification.

The skin of the building, which should be added in March, will have metal, stone and a hard wood called cumaru.

Credit: Sam Bennett