Design firm Snøhetta will create a strategy to redevelop the 16-acre riverfront campus of The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) in Portland, it has been announced today (14 October).

Multiple firms, including local studios, will join Snøhetta’s design team to create a long-term masterplan for the site. OMSI is seeking how to best develop its property to enhance its economic and environmental benefit, while highlighting the museum’s role as a centre of education, culture, community development and skill-building.

“Portland's future is intimately linked with the pursuit of education, a greater understanding of the sciences, and our relationship to the environment,” said Craig Dykers, founding partner of Snøhetta. “To be a part of this journey together with OMSI is a rare opportunity to shape a larger component of society.

“We look forward to bringing OMSI closer in connection to its place, people and visitors. Together with the museum's administration, we’ll certainly see OMSI blossom into a place that is more resourceful and attractive in the years to come.”

Snøhetta are joined on the project by financial consultant ECONorthwest, who will study the economic conditions; engineers Buro Happold, who will develop an approach to environmental sustainability and infrastructure; KPFF for their civil engineering expertise; and Mayer/Reed, who will consult on landscape architecture.

Work on the OMSI Master Plan will begin this month and is expected to continue into the first quarter of 2017.

OMSI president and CEO Nancy Stueber said: “It’s important to us that we identify the unique ways we can use our property to create a vibrant and engaging place for the community and for science learning, and this collaborative team will help us build a vision for the OMSI District that is both dynamic and achievable.”

This is one of a series of planning projects Snøhetta is leading in Portland. Others include the Willamette Falls Riverwalk in Oregon City, and the future home of the James Beard Public Market in Portland. Earlier this year the firm partnered with The Center for Architecture in Portland to host its first full-scale exhibition of their work in North America, featuring sketches, renderings, and models.

The new OMSI district will be used to anchor the city’s planned “Innovation Quadrant,” which will feature new visitor attractions, open spaces and improved access to the river.

"Portland remains one of the most inviting cities in America,” said Michelle Delk, partner and director of landscape architecture with Snøhetta. “After many years of industrialisation, the city is awakening to its waterfront and natural surroundings more than ever before. The city’s food culture, social activities and environmental initiatives are helping create a new attitude along the waterfront."