Join UO’s Portland Architecture Program for a screening of the new documentary feature film, Lewerentz Divine Darkness, followed by a Q&A with Director Sven Blume.

UO Portland Room 121 Innovation Building 2811 NE Holman St. Portland, Oregon 97211 Time: 70 minutes + Q&A See the trailer here. About the Film: Sigurd Lewerentz is one of the most famous Swedish architects, considered a master of the profession internationally. His unique solutions were decades ahead of their time. Lewerentz did not want to be filmed or interviewed. His person, like his buildings, is surrounded by a mysterious aura. But in a root cellar in Lund, there is an unknown treasure. Film reels and audio tapes recorded by the architect Bernt Nyberg with Lewerentz during his last years are stored here. From the cellar, a cultural-historical journey begins, where the stylistic traces of Lewerentz within Nordic architecture become palpable. Classicism and modernism converge in a poetic brutality that awakens our deepest and most archaic cultural memories.

Filmmaker: Sven Blume is a Stockholm-based film director specializing in documentary filmmaking. He graduated from the Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts in 2013 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Documentary Film. Since then, he has worked extensively as a director on documentary projects and has collaborated across disciplines within fine art, architecture, music videos, and dance.His latest feature-length documentary, Lewerentz Divine Darkness (2024), explores the work of architect Sigurd Lewerentz and marks his second film on architecture. Since its world premiere in spring 2024, the film has had a national cinema and broadcast release in Sweden and approximately 100 special screenings/festivals in 25 countries worldwide.

His previous films include Crooked Lines of Beauty – My Grandfather, the Architect Carl Nyrén (2021) and For Somebody Else (2020), a documentary about surrogate mothers in the United States, along with several short films. Blume's films have received critical acclaim, winning awards and being screened at festivals worldwide, as well as in museums, galleries, cinemas, and on public broadcasters in multiple countries. In recognition of his contributions to film, he became a member of the Swedish Film Academy in 2023.

Enjoy stress-free time together online with disabled and neurodivergent graduate students from across campus. Share experiences, exchange resources, or consult with a GE from the Accessible Education Center.

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Join UO’s Portland Architecture Program for a reception and public lecture event celebrating the design of the Innovation Building at our new campus in NE Portland with Mandy Butler and Pam Saftler of TVA Architects. 5:00pm PST (talk at 5:30pm) Wednesday, May 21

UO Portland Innovation Commons (3rd Floor) Innovation Building 2811 NE Holman St. Portland, Oregon 97211

Zoom link Meeting ID: 971 9590 1469

About: Renovation holds a unique power to honor the past and embrace the future. More than a fix or an upgrade, it’s an opportunity to elevate the very essence of a building—revealing its hidden potential, respecting its original character, and reimagining it for contemporary needs. By thoughtfully reconsidering how an existing structure can support modern uses, renovation transforms constraints into catalysts for creativity—allowing designers to rethink space, introduce modern technologies, improve performance, and strengthen a building’s connection to its history, place, and purpose.

Join TVA Principals Pam Saftler and Mandy Butler as they share stories and strategies from three recent renovation projects at the University of Oregon: Huestis Hall and Friendly Hall in Eugene, and the Innovation Building in Portland. While each project presented distinct architectural and programmatic challenges, they all shared a common thread: the transformative power of renovation. This talk will highlight TVA’s pursuit of the “twofer”—a single design move that solves a problem and delivers added value. Whether through aesthetics, user experience, or sustainability, the twofer is smart, efficient, and impactful.

MANDY BUTLER, AIA Mandy Butler is a Principal at TVA Architects, where she leads the design and planning of complex, high-performance learning environments—including science and technology research facilities, laboratories, and hands-on teaching spaces. With deep expertise in programming and planning, she creates spaces that meet the technical and functional needs of students and faculty while supporting evolving teaching methodologies. Mandy brings a strong command of technical requirements, regulatory standards, and stakeholder priorities to every project, resulting in adaptable, forward-thinking designs that are both effective and inspiring.

Her recent work for the University of Oregon includes the Huestis Hall Deferred Maintenance Project, multiple research and teaching lab renovations in Klamath Hall, and the Innovation Building Renovation on the Portland campus. She also recently led UO stakeholders through programming for the renovation of Friendly Hall.

Mandy holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Oregon and has served on the College of Design’s Dean’s Council, offering strategic insight on development, diversity initiatives, and community engagement.

PAM SAFTLER, AIA, IIDA Pam Saftler is a Principal at TVA Architects with nearly three decades of experience shaping projects that elevate the human experience through thoughtful design. With a foundation in architecture, environmental design, and urban planning, Pam is adept at transforming complex programmatic requirements into spaces that are both highly functional and inspiring.

She has led numerous higher education initiatives, bringing together diverse stakeholder groups to create adaptable, high-performance environments that support hands-on learning, collaboration, and innovation. Her portfolio includes major renovations, laboratory upgrades, and makerspaces that enhance the daily experience of students and faculty alike.

Pam’s recent work for the University of Oregon includes the Huestis Hall Deferred Maintenance Project, renovations to Klamath Hall, and the Innovation Building Renovation on the Portland campus. She is currently leading the renovation of Friendly Hall, the third-oldest building on the Eugene campus.

To think through soil is to engage with some of the most critical issues of our time. In addition to its agricultural role in feeding eight billion people, soil has become the primary agent of carbon storage in global climate models, and it is crucial for biodiversity, flood control, and freshwater resources. Perhaps no other material is asked to do so much for the human environment, and yet our basic conceptual model of what soil is and how it works remains surprisingly vague.

In cities, soil occupies a blurry category whose boundaries are both empirically uncertain and politically contested. Soil functions as a nexus for environmental processes through which the planet’s most fundamental material transformations occur, but conjuring what it actually is serves as a useful exercise in reframing environmental thought, design thinking, and city and regional planning toward a healthier, more ethical, and more sustainable future.

Through a sustained analysis of the world’s largest wastewater agricultural system, located in the Mexico City–Mezquital hydrological region, Thinking Through Soil imagines what a better environmental future might look like in central Mexico. More broadly, this case study offers a new image of soil that captures its shifting identity, explains its profound importance to rural and urban life, and argues for its capacity to save our planet.