Building the New Chemeketa Agriculture Complex

Construction of the Chemeketa Agriculture Complex is underway and expecting to host classes in the winter term of 2021. The complex on the east side of the Chemeketa Community College campus will serve as an agriculture hub in the community. Chemeketa chose to use Freres Lumber’s mass timber panel, Mass Ply Panel, for the roof structure of the Chemeketa Agriculture Complex and the pavilion.

This building construction includes concrete foundations, slab on grade, steel, mass timber, and conventional wood framing systems. The mass timber portion of the project significantly sped up the construction timeline. In fact, the builders set 33 Mass Ply Panels in one day, which is approximately 12,320 sq. ft.

The Mass Ply gives a nice story for this 14,000 square foot structure with the wood coming from local forests and being manufactured 32 miles away. Mass Ply will give the space a modern look and allow for growth in the agricultural programs. There is steady interest in the ag program and an expectation for increased enrollment in the future. With new classrooms, offices, and labs Chemeketa will be able to provide even more hands-on learning for students.

Project Contributors

There are many contractors and businesses working to make this 12 million dollar project a reality. Special thanks to FFA Architecture and Interiors for creating the vision and specifying our material in the roof. In addition, we look forward to supplying doors as well as benches for the project. Another contributor is Swinerton Mass Timber, who were the framers on the job.

This is the first building to utilize our high quality HD faced panels for the ceiling. A good portion of the ceiling will be left exposed including the entrance area called the Hub Lounge.

The complex structure was designed to stand for 100 years or more, which is one of the reasons Mass Ply was chosen. We are looking forward to the positive impact the Chemeketa Agriculture Complex will have in the Willamette Valley and in Oregon’s agriculture industry for generations to come.