It is out of here! Our Providence Health Center – Reed’s Crossing project recently donated their enclosure mock-up to a local non-profit organization, Play Grow Learn. Mock-ups play an important role in the construction process as they determine quality and procedures for building systems, sequencing, and installation. Mock-ups are used by both the contractor and the architect to test performance, material compatibility, and design aesthetic. 

Typically, mock-up structures are used temporarily and are sent to a landfill after their purpose has been served on the job site. To reduce waste and re-purpose materials, this mock-up was built with donation in mind. Our team collaborated with Portland State University’s Center for Public Interest Design’s (CPID) Useful Waste Initiative and our Design Partners, to ensure the structure was appropriately designed and constructed for future reuse. The structure was specifically sized for transport and includes cross-ventilated windows and electrical rough-in for a heater, light, plug, and exterior connection to power. Once the structure is delivered, the interior will be finished by CPID.

At its final location, the mock-up will serve as a meeting/office space at Play Grow Learn’s garden in Southeast Portland. The organization is dedicated to providing opportunity for underserved and houseless and/or disenfranchised youth in the local community. 

Thank you to our Trade Partners who worked with Mortenson and provided donations to make this possible, including: OEG, SunSteel, Flynn BEC, and Skyline Sheet Metal. Mortenson is proud to be involved in an initiative that integrates sustainable processes into construction, while positively impacting our local community! 

For more information on Portland State University’s Center for Public Interest Design’s (CPID) program, visit this website:  http://www.centerforpublicinterestdesign.org/useful-waste-initiative