Port of Portland/ Otak/Pape

Otak recently won a contract to design a destination hotel in Abu Dhabi.

Construction Completed on Bulked-Up Potash Facility Portland.

An expansion to the mineral bulk exporting facility at Terminal 5 which has increased capacity there by an estimated 1 million metric tons.

Before expansion, it was the second largest wooden structure in Oregon.
Now the nearly half-mile-long, cathedral-roofed building is the largest wooden
structure west of the Mississippi. The massive facility is made of wood because the mineral is corrosive to metal.Since fall of 1997, the facility has accepted shipments of potash by rail from Saskatchewan. It is stored at the terminal and shipped internationally via bulk vessels. The terminal is leased by Portland Bulk Terminals and operated by Kinder Morgan for Canpotex, the world’s largest exporter of potash.

Used primarily as a fertilizer because of its high potassium content, rapidly increasing worldwide demand for potash meant that more storage and rail infra-structure was needed to keep pace. Before deciding to expand capacity at Terminal 5, Canpotex exported about 2.5 million metric tons of potash through Terminal 5 each year. The expanded facility increases capacity to an estimated 3.5 million metric tons.

The building expansion follows the addition of a third rail loop of roughly 7,000 feet, which was built around the existing storage facility in 2006.

Otak wins Saudi Hotel Project

Portland – With development already bustling in “The Richest City in the World” (Fortune Magazine, March 2007), the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) has chosen the Belbadi/ Otak team to lead the design-build process for its landmark Dh1.6 billion

($435 million) Al Bateen Wharf Hotel in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Otak will act as lead architect on the project and will work in close collaboration with Belbadi Enterprises. The two firms previously teamed up to develop the mixed-use Vancouvercenter, the largest redevelopment in the history of Vancouver, Wash.

Otak’s designs for the Al Bateen Wharf Hotel recently earned a People’s Choice Award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Oregon.

As lead consultant on the 54,000-square-meter hotel, Otak International will be responsible for all design services, including architecture, structural and civil engineering, landscape architecture and design coordination. The firm will incorporate multiple sustainable elements in the Al Bateen Wharf Hotel, including energy-efficient solar screens that reduce pressure on the climate-control systems, “fritted glass” with integrated solar cells, a transparent sail-like veil that will transform the shape of the building at night, an eco-roof over the retail shops and eco-friendly landscaping.

Pape Steps Up Safety Efforts

Eugene - The Portland dealership of Pape Machinery recently became a member of Oregon OSHA’s Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP).

Participation in SHARP represents a commitment by an employer to improve its workplace safety culture. Oregon OSHA safety and health consultants help Oregon employers work with their employees to find and correct hazards, develop and implement effective safety and health programs, and plan for continuous safety improvement. The ultimate goal of SHARP is to encourage businesses to become self-sufficient in managing workplace safety and health issues.

With 53 team members, Pape Machinery in Portland services and rents heavy equipment to the construction and forestry industry. It is part of The Pape Group Inc., which is headquartered in Eugene.

In 2006, Pape Machinery’s Portland store had just two injuries that caused days away from work, job transfers or restrictions. That represents a 43 percent drop from the company’s injury rate in 2005.

Employees of SHARP members retain all workplace safety and health rights contained in the Oregon Safe Employment Act. Oregon employers that have been in business for more than one year are eligible to apply for SHARP regardless of size or type of business. There are 127 Oregon employers who participate in SHARP.