New York-based Ennead Architects and Portland-based Bora Architects have revealed the designs for the much-anticipated Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact, which is poised to transform the University of Oregon with an ambitious new effort to rethink science education and innovation. The Knight Campus is made possible by a $500 million lead gift from Penny and Phil Knight, co-founder of Nike, who earned a business degree at the UO in 1959.
The $1 billion project is also supported with $50 million in state bonds. The ambitious effort aspires to dramatically shorten the timeline between discovery and societal impact through world-class research, training and entrepreneurship in a nimble scientific enterprise. Groundbreaking is scheduled for February 2018 on the $225-million, 160,000-square-foot first phase designed by Bora | Ennead, with an anticipated opening date in early 2020. Design partner Todd Schliemann and Management partner Don Weinreich lead the Ennead team and John O’Toole and Tom Bauer lead the Bora team.