Portland State Opened New Mass-Timber Arts School
The 107,000-square-foot facility unites three academic departments under one roof on campus.
Updated on Oct. 5, 2026 in Higher Education
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Portland State University has opened the new Jordan Schnitzer School of Art + Art History + Design. The four-story structure serves to consolidate three previously dispersed academic departments into a single location.
Why it matters
The project integrates academic spaces that were formerly scattered across the campus, aiming to foster collaboration among students in art, design, and history. It also serves as a showcase for sustainable construction techniques in higher education.
The school building spans nearly 107,000 square feet across four stories. The project features a glulam column-and-beam system and a 25-foot sliding glass door.
The players
Portland State University
This is a public research university located in the heart of downtown Portland.
Lever Architecture
This is a design firm that specializes in mass-timber projects and urban architecture.
The details
Designed by Lever Architecture, the building utilizes cross-laminated timber floor panels and traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery assembled via CNC fabrication. Over half of the Douglas fir glulam used in the project was sourced from tribally owned forests, replacing a site that formerly functioned as a parking lot.
Timeline
The Jordan Schnitzer School of Art building opened for the 2026 academic year.
Timberlab is scheduled to open its mass-timber manufacturing facility later this year.
Culture Shift
The transition to mass-timber construction represents a broader shift toward sustainable materials in institutional architecture. By prioritizing renewable wood products, the university aligns its physical footprint with modern carbon-reduction goals.
Students and faculty gain a centralized hub for artistic collaboration, replacing older, scattered facilities. The building also transforms a former parking lot into a functional green-adjacent campus landmark.
The takeaway
The use of tribally sourced Douglas fir and advanced timber engineering marks a milestone for sustainable campus development in the Pacific Northwest. This facility provides a model for how universities can modernize academic spaces while prioritizing renewable construction materials.
What happens next
Timberlab's new CLT-manufacturing facility is scheduled to open later this year, potentially impacting regional supply chains for similar mass-timber projects.
Further reading
Learn more about the latest developments in Higher Education at Portland State University.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Architecturalrecord.
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