February 4, 2013

Oregon College of Oriental Medicine

Photos courtesy of OCOM [enlarge]

The Oregon College of Oriental Medicine has moved into the former Globe Hotel at Northwest Couch Street and First Avenue in Portland’s Old Town Chinatown neighborhood.

The four-story, 35,000-square-foot building was constructed in 1911 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

A $15.2 million renovation restored the building, with seismic upgrades and a 4,300-square-foot rooftop addition. The building has earned LEED gold certification.

The rooftop has a green roof and herb garden. Inside are classrooms, administrative offices, a research center, and an Oriental medical clinic on the fourth floor that is open to the public. The ground floor has active-use and retail spaces.

A specialist in feng shui helped with the design to ensure the college receives positive “qi,” a Chinese word that describes the active energy that forms part of any living thing.

OCOM was founded in Portland in 1983, and is one of the first Oriental medicine colleges in the U.S. to offer master’s and doctoral programs in acupuncture and Oriental medicine.

Owner: Oregon College of Oriental Medicine

Development partner: Beam Development

Architect: Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects

General contractor: LCG Pence Construction

Feng shui specialist: Alex Stark, New York

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