Jan. 30, 1998 Contact Pauline Austin (541) 346-3129 EUGENE---Berkeley architect Laura Hartman and her partner view the making of buildings as an activity rooted in circumstance--"a collaboration among our clients, the site, the materials particular to each project and with one another." Hartman, the 1998 Pietro Belluschi Distinguished Visiting Professor in Architectural Design at the University of Oregon, will discuss her and her partner Richard Fernau's distinct approach to design at two public lectures in Portland and Eugene. The Eugene lecture is at 5 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 11, in Room 177 at Lawrence Hall, 1190 Franklin Blvd. The Portland talk, appropriately located in the church designed by Pietro Belluschi, is at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 5, at the Zion Lutheran Church, 1015 S.W. 18th Ave. Hartman and Fernau have refused to adopt a "style," in favor of developing a sensibility and a way of working that is site--and client--specific. One of the most innovative examples of this approach is their project for the "Cheesecake" Consortium, a collective housing scheme north of San Francisco commissioned by a group of 11 friends in their 50s and 60s, who want to grow old actively, gracefully and together. "The clients were looking for a space that allowed them to share some activities, like eating and cooking, but could offer private areas they could tailor to suit the needs of each individual. That was the challenge," Hartman says. The resulting design--three large, simple buildings on 20 wooded acres--won accolades from Architecture Magazine (October 1994) and a design award from Progressive Architecture. Fernau and Hartman, Architects, formed in 1980, immediately established a reputation for diversity and excellence. Their first three projects won awards for architectural design, interior design and technical innovation. Virtually all their realized projects have won awards and been published in the national and international press. In addition to the two public lectures, Hartman is teaching two classes at the university--a studio designing a museum for the history and future of the UO and a seminar focused on investigations in circumstantial art and architecture. The Belluschi professorship was created at the UO School of Architecture and Allied Arts in 1993 as a perpetually endowed fund to foster and promote education in architectural design. Belluschi was one of the most notable architects in Oregon and was best known for establishing a Northwest regional style of architecture. For more information, call (541) 346-3656. -30- #P-6050/Local, OrDailies, PDX, A&E, ARCH