This $37 million LEED Platinum project in Portland’s historic Old Town neighborhood unites all of Mercy Corps’ 160 Portland-based employees under one roof for the first time, within an 82,000 square-foot space designed by THA Architecture. Deca provided space planning and programming, interior design, and furniture selection and design. Because the project consisted of a contemporary addition to a historic building, the interior design had to work with the character of both portions of the building and create the feeling of a unified whole. The program includes a learning center for public education, a gallery, a public meeting space, a temporary exhibit space, and a small rent-able retail space.

Furniture was selected and arranged to support the organization’s team-based approach to work; DECA also designed a complex workstation system that provides maximum flexibility for a constantly changing work environment. Additional complexity came from the need to provide a highly functional state-of-the-art work environment that also reflects the values of an organization dedicated to serving the world’s neediest populations. The interiors are refined without being ostentatious, with high value placed on durability and flexibility. The result was a bright and airy interior environment that allows Mercy Corps’ Portland employees to efficiently direct their organization’s resources across the globe.