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The Nishkian Dean has taken an exciting turn this spring with a move (just down the street) to new offices, an opportunity brought about by continued growth and an effort to improve office layout without compromising their central downtown location.

The structural engineering firm (www.nishkian.com) has a strong reputation for design management coupled with expert technical knowledge, and recent experience in engineering aerospace ground support facilities. Nishkian Dean is currently involved in several exciting local projects.

The firm is newly located on the second floor of the building at the corner of SW 4th and Stark. The new office will not only add much needed work space but will be reconfigured to provide a more interactive design team environment.

Principal Ed Dean is leasing 5,000 square feet of office, moving to a space more than twice their current office size, and has been working on developing layout and technological improvements. The plans include the incorporation of state-of-the-art network, internet phone system and workstation build-out to suit their needs. "We are intent on providing an open office to foster communication and interaction with the latest information technology. We feel that this sort of arrangement provides a rich environment to allow our younger staff better access to those that are more experienced," he said.

Nishkian Dean's profession gives them the advantage of collaborating with a lot of people in the business of building buildings. The tenant improvement is being done by Alan Volm of Pacific Crest Structures. Nishkian Dean has worked with them on a number of projects, recently being a Northwest Portland project consisting of adaptive reuse and seismic strengthening for two long-span wood and concrete warehouses, renovated as retail space.

The move will mean trading the smaller Spalding building offices' historic charm for newer design elements, including some of their own design. The space already features high ceilings, long window lines and a very efficient space plan of open areas mixed with office perimeters. In addition, the engineering team is installing a signature conference room table. The table resembles a building foundation and include a five by ten foot polished concrete slab. The concrete piece is made by another long-time client, Brian Blount of specialty pre-cast concrete manufacturer, Arcis. Nishkian Dean recently assisted Arcis with engineering their planned plant expansion.

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