SAJ Architecture

09/03/2026

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!

03/09/2026

Redmond High School's modernization is making progress! Here, you see SĀJ Architecture's Amy McCarthy Smith during a recent page-turn meeting with the client and design team as the project hit another schedule milestone on our way toward permitting.

Redmond High School's modernization is an extremely complex, technical project, requiring a sophisticated level of coordination. Having an owners' rep like HMK Company — which prioritizes communication and responsiveness — has been key to the project's success.

Redmond School District | The District and its consultants have now completed the 50% Construction Documents (CD) page-turn, marking an important step forward from the previously reviewed 100% Design Development (DD) set. Since the DD milestone, the team has advanced the drawings with increased technical detail and coordination across disciplines, translating the approved design direction into more fully developed construction-ready documents.

Building on the foundation established during design, the latest drawing set reflects refined building systems, more detailed specifications, updated layouts where needed, and strengthened alignment between architectural, structural, and MEP components. This phase also provided another opportunity to confirm District standards, incorporate end-user feedback, and resolve coordination items before progressing.

With continued collaboration and careful review, the Project Team is excited to keep the Redmond High School moderniztion project moving ahead with clarity, accuracy, and strong teamwork.

SAJ Architecture
Morrison-Maierle
Pence Contractors

03/06/2026

Yesterday, our Morrow County School District engagement team presented our pre-design DAC experience to the rest of our firm. Running these facilitation sessions for MCSD was such a great experience, we wish everyone in the firm could have participated. And, honestly, we’re a little sad that pre-design has come to a close.

Now, the trail splits and schematic design for Irrigon Jr/Sr High School moves forward. The design team will take the insights and feedback gathered during these initial DAC meetings and get to work bringing the vision created during pre-design into a built reality for the community.

Thank you to Wenaha Group for being supportive partners, and thank you to the district and DAC members for heading up this adventure!

01/26/2026

In this video, student members of the Morrow County School District Design Advisory Committee share why they wanted to be part of the process of designing their new schools.

During our engagement and planning activities, the students have offered valuable perspec-tives that have directly influenced our design work. For example, they've shared how students move through their current schools and have given suggestions about how the new and updated buildings can improve the learning experience.

01/26/2026

Our students are helping shape the future of our schools. In this video, Design
Advisory Committee members share why they chose to get involved and why student voices matter.