Eugene Town Square – A Sustainable Community Space

by Allie Merrill, Marketing Specialist

The much-anticipated Eugene Town Square, located in The Park Blocks at the heart of Eugene, Oregon, is nearing completion. Slated to open in June 2022, the new Town Square will be home to the Eugene Saturday Market and the Lane County Farmers Market.

The Town Square is the first step in the City of Eugene’s vision to revitalize downtown and create a thriving centralized space for the public to enjoy. As a local general contractor, with the majority of the project’s team living and working in Lane County, Lewis especially invested in building this space for our neighbors, friends and fellow community members.

Envisioned as a hub for the local community to gather, play and celebrate, an expansive new plaza and Pavilion serves as the central feature of the Town Square. The Pavilion is constructed entirely of mass timber, utilizing Oregon-grown Douglas Fir. Timber is a highly sustainable material—it is a readily renewable resource and is a more carbon-neutral material choice than concrete or steel, which can reduce the overall carbon footprint of a structure. The structural system includes glulam columns and beams—a structurally engineered wood product—along with cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels that serve as the shear walls, bearing walls and roof deck.

Prior to manufacturing, our team utilized software to create a 3D model of the building to ensure the design of the structure accounted for the mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) utilities and steel elements without taking away from the aesthetic qualities of the mass timber elements. To further maximize the aesthetic impact of the structure, the mass timber elements were manufactured with concealed elements (steel fasteners and reinforcements including bolts, plates and connection details) to let the warmth and character of the timber truly shine.

Video Link: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/709674711