Mt. Hood Meadows – Sahale Addition

DOWL civil engineers overcame notable site challenges, including a heavily constrained building footprint and a sizeable grade differential, to produce designs for this 30,000-square-foot addition for the Mt. Hood Meadows (MHM) ski resort on Oregon’s iconic Mt. Hood peak. Dubbed Sahale, this structure is the first major expansion of the MHM resort in more than two decades. The new structure greatly expands MHM’s dining, rental, and education spaces. DOWL team members also provided designs for low-impact development (LID) stormwater treatment and 250 additional parking spaces. With DOWL’s help, the new addition respectfully expands MHM’s offerings, integrating the new facility with Mt. Hood’s majestic vistas and legendary ski runs and family fun.

Snow melt and rain drainage from the building’s roof is directed through a specially designed heated drainpipe into a rain garden for treatment, after which it is directed into adjacent wetlands and the East Fork Hood River. By treating the water on site and distributing it back into the ecosystem, this approach supports the US Forest Service’s aim of being a good steward of the mountain’s waters, keeping it out of the storm system. The facility’s water management system will be highlighted in educational presentations given to students in Sahale’s Meadows Learning Center.

With a grade of seven percent or more and a site tightly constrained by existing wetlands and mountain terrain, DOWL engineers had to work closely with MHM management, the architect, and the structural engineer to produce a logical and functional programmatic layout for the facility’s departments and users. The DOWL team also worked to incorporate the second-story elevated walkway between Sahale and the existing facility that provided sufficient clearance for maintenance vehicles.