SAJ Architecture

10/09/2026

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.

07/31/2026

Congratulations to SĀJ Architecture Project Architect Lindsey Maguire, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, on earning her license to practice architecture in Oregon!

Lindsey, who is also a licensed architect in North Carolina, has more than 15 years of experience working on higher-education, K-12, and civic projects. Dual-trained in architecture and urban design, she has led master planning efforts for cities and universities on both coasts. From 2013 to 2017, she served as a member of the Durham Area Designers, a nonprofit committed to public facilitation of urban design in Durham, North Carolina.

Since joining SĀJ Architecture’s Bend office in November 2024, Lindsey has worked on Oregon Department of Education (ODE)-compliant long-range facilities plans for North Santiam School District and Greater Albany Public Schools. She is currently on the project team for Morrow County School District’s Riverside Jr./Sr. High School modernization. In June 2026, Lindsey became an ODE Technical Assistance Program Certified Assessor.

07/06/2026

The summer construction season is underway! Groundbreaking for Redmond High School's modernization and addition happened to fall on the third anniversary of our firm's founding. These milestones are a reminder of how fortunate we've been to secure work on impactful projects, gain great clients, and develop lasting partnerships in just three short years!

Redmond High School | Redmond School District

Contractors have officially broken ground on Redmond High School’s new wrestling addition, marking the start of a major bond-funded project that will continue through summer 2027. Across the rest of campus, multiple trade crews have mobilized to begin site work for the agriculture classroom addition, start roofing and interior demolition, and establish safe work zones to support ongoing mechanical, electrical, plumbing (MEP), and interior renovation work.

Pence Contractors
SAJ Architecture

05/13/2026

A contractor has been selected for the Riverside Jr/Sr High School additions and renovations! We're excited to begin working with Bouten Construction to bring this voter-approved bond project to fruition!

Learn more about the project and the Design Advisory Committee process at https://www.morrow.k12.or.us/article/2894371.

03/16/2026

At SĀJ Architecture, we’ve developed several custom tools for stakeholder engagement, including our Patent Pending Modular Planning Kit. SĀJ Principal Architect Jonah Jensen created the clickable kit to help clients understand spatial relationships and explore design options in group settings. We use it for interior space planning on a variety of project types and can further customize it for clients with specific operational needs. This tangible, hands-on kit is an effective communication tool and adds a little play to the design experience.

Last week we broke out the kit while designing our own new office space, which will accommodate our growing SĀJ Portland team. The process allowed for quick and collaborative design — with a little fun built in (even if we look serious in the photo!).

03/13/2026

We have added a few new faces over the past two months and need to catch up on making introductions!

First up is Nathanael Werner, AIA, NCARB, who recently joined us as a Project Architect in our Bend office. Nathanael has nearly 20 years of experience working on public and private projects, and his portfolio includes K-12, industrial, residential, commercial, and hospitality projects.

Nathanael's reputation in the community as a collaborative and capable architect proceeded him, and we are happy he decided to join us at SĀJ Architecture! He was more than game to participate in our mock-project-style interview, during which seasoned Project Architect Casey Campbell put in an Oscar-worthy performance as "First-Year Intern Who Has a Lot of Questions." We all agreed that Nathanael's willingness to laugh along with us was a very good sign.

Nathanael is currently integrating into our commercial and multifamily residential project teams. And, with his K-12 experience, we suspect there's some more school work in his near future, too.

Please join us in welcoming Nathanael!