Established by Dan Wieden and founding members of Wieden+Kennedy, Caldera is a non-profit organization that brings innovative arts programming to under-served students and communities in Portland and in Central Oregon. The foundation also sponsors an artists-in-residence program that brings emerging creative voices to the region. Allied Works has partnered with Caldera since 1998 to develop master plans and facilities that support Caldera’s mission and programs.
As part of this mission, Caldera operates a year-round center for the arts and environmental interpretation in the Cascade Range on the shores of Blue Lake. A constellation of residential structures, workshops and campsites, the Center focuses on a multi-use structure known as the Hearth Building. Completed in 2004, the building gathers the central functions of Caldera under a cedar-shake roof anchored by two monumental concrete fireplaces. Its crescent shaped plan is organized as several interlocking wood platforms. Three separate enclosures rest lightly on these platforms, allowing the multi-purpose performance hall, library, and art studios to open to sheltered space, light, ventilation and views on all sides. The Hearth Building echoes the form of the surrounding volcanic crater and the material and structure of the enclosing pine forest, creating a resonant space for education, gathering and artistic production.