“A place for healing” - this singular vision drove the transformation of three plus acres in Portland’s SE Gateway District from a vacant urban property facing multiple challenges to the realization of Fora Health’s unmatched treatment campus. Fora Health (previously DePaul Treatment Center) is a nonprofit providing treatment and care for all affected by substance use disorder.
A trauma-informed design approach guided the inclusion of ample physical and visual access to outdoor space. The new 53,000sf facility, designed by Holst Architecture, is anchored by a central therapy garden including active and passive recreation, outdoor meeting spaces, and an immersive, trauma-informed healing garden. Bands of paving, perennial beds and custom site furnishings give way to an open lawn area. Subtle sculpting of the natural topography provides an experiential walk to the Council Ring, an outdoor meeting room located within an existing stand of mature evergreens. A decorative metal & wood fence bounds the garden and carefully negotiates the preserved grove. Fora’s commitment to the landscape interventions highlights the broadening application of therapeutic landscapes across dynamic physical, mental and behavioral settings.
Ground Workshop is proud to be part of a collaborative team that includes Edlen & Co, Holst Architecture, Vega Civil Engineering, Catena Engineers, Sazan, and R&H Construction.
Ground Workshop team: Tommy Solomon, Tom Wortman
2023 AIA National Healthcare Design Award
2022 Oregon ASLA Honor Award - General Design
2022 Daily Journal of Commerce Top Projects - 1st Place in Health Care and Life Sciences Category
2022 Portland Business Journal - Transformer Award
2021 Portland Design Commission - Design of Excellence
2019 Portland Design Commission - Project of the Year