Deshutes Public Library Phase 1

The traditional design/build process of “design, send out to bid, redesign, value engineer, and repeat” can be expensive, time consuming, and very frustrating for everyone involved. Design without consideration of real-world constraints like time, budget, physics, and feasibility can produce beautiful pictures, but as soon as reality hits things can quickly turn painful and expensive. This can be the beginning of a long, hard process often ending with all parties feeling they have to compromise their hopes and dreams.

Rely on Figure Plant. In their creation of new early childhood development centers in 7 libraries throughout Central Oregon, the Deschutes Library team, along with Redpoint Construction Management, had the foresight to bring in Figure Plant to take on a “design assist’ role (before we actually built the elements), working lock-step with the designers to ensure success within feasibility, budgetary, and timeline guardrails. Unlike the traditional process, the collaboration between Figure Plant and the designers has not only reduced stress and heartache and kept the project on-track, it has also maintained the design team’s vision.

The design team at +&> has pushed boundaries and created designs that educate, surprise, and delight. The partnership with Figure Plant has produced results that have not only thrilled the library team, but also created highly unique learning modules, furniture, and play spaces for all ages of kids. The citizens of Deschutes County, who generously passed a bond measure to pay for the libraries, now have beautiful, state-of-the-art, creative learning spaces for years to come. Stay tuned for more case studies on this multi-year project.