Opsis Architecture

Downtown Auburn is setting the stage for something new.

The new Auburn Avenue Theater will replace the original 1926 theater, carrying its legacy forward while creating a renewed home for performance in the heart of the city. Located alongside a new downtown park and rebuilt B Street Plaza, the theater will help anchor Auburn’s growing arts district.

The reimagined venue will feature a flexible 300-seat proscenium theater to support community theater, music, comedy and camps. A new contemporary marquee and open, transparent entries will draw the public in. Pursuing LEED Silver, the theater will create a vibrant civic destination designed for the next generation of artists and audiences.

Client: City of Auburn - Government
Architect of Record: Otak
Design Architect: Opsis Architecture

The Student Success Center at OSU-Cascades brings academic advising, student support and gathering spaces together in one warm, inviting environment. Supporting connection, wellbeing and belonging, the center gives students a welcoming place to meet, study and recharge throughout the day.

The theme of hygge—comfort, coziness and contentment—emerged early in the design process and shaped a student-centered environment. Using mass timber and biophilic design principles, the space features cozy furnishings and natural materials that echo the high desert landscape, creating areas that feel comfortable, human-scaled and uniquely connected to Central Oregon.

OSU-Cascades student design advocates, facilities and faculty guided the design, ensuring the 17,500 sf center reflects the values and culture of the campus.

Client: OSU-Cascades
Progressive Design-Build: Andersen Construction
Photos: Alan Brandt Photography

The new North Academic Complex (NAC) and GeoEco Plant at Central Washington University is coming to life! Set to open for the fall 2026 term, the 104,262 sf campus centerpiece will offer students and campus staff an interdisciplinary environment for collaborative teaching and learning. The mass timber atrium at the heart of the four-story arts and humanities building deepens connections with the region by featuring wood sourced from the Yakama National Forest Products.

The GeoEco Plant will play an important role for the NAC (pursuing LEED Gold) and CWU’s campus. The solar and geothermal plant will achieve CWU’s goal for reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by 40% and supply zero-emission heating and cooling to the NAC. Once complete, the open and transparent GeoEco Plant will offer education opportunities for visitors, showcasing the inner workings of the geothermal process.

Client: Central Washington University
Architect of Record: NAC
Design Architect: Opsis Architecture
Contractor: Garco Construction

New amenities are coming to the Oregon Zoo Opsis designed the renovation of the Cascade Crest Deck and the new Polar Plaza to enhance the experience for the zoo’s 1.5 million annual visitors. The Cascade Crest Deck renovation will reimagine the space as a welcoming, accessible environment for events. The new Polar Plaza features natural wood elements rooted in Pacific Northwest character and will provide a flexible, sheltered space for gatherings, events and respite.

Together, these spaces will integrate with the zoo’s existing architecture and celebrate connections to place, people and nature.

Follow the link to learn more: https://www.opsisarch.com/project/oregon-zoo-cascade-crest-deck-polar-plaza/
Client: Metro

We’re celebrating a major milestone for the Mariners Hall project in Astoria! Just three weeks after the timber arrived on site, the team set the final 60-foot curved glulam rib into place, marking the official topping out of the structure. With the vessel-inspired design taking shape, the curved timber frame now hints at the vaulted exhibition space to come. The new space will celebrate the moments, stories and rich maritime history of the Columbia River through interactive displays and hands-on activities.

Columbia River Maritime Museum Curator Jeff Smith described the structure as one that "seems to breathe and flow, qualities likened to a boat in the water." To mark the moment, we raised a toast in honor of the longstanding nautical “planking out” tradition, which celebrates the placement of the final plank on a vessel with whiskey.

A huge thank you to the Columbia River Maritime Museum, our project team and partners. We’re excited to be one step closer to opening this dynamic new hub for maritime education and exploration in the Pacific Northwest.

Structural Engineer: StructureCraft
Contractor: Rickenbach Construction Inc. #59660
Glulam Beam Manufacturer: Zip-O-Laminator
Photography: Flor Projects