Rena Simon

Principal
ZGF Architects

Rena Simon is a multifaceted designer focused on delivering solutions that align architecture with her clients’ missions and culture. Inspired by the natural world, she connects conceptual ideas to her clients’ broader aspirations. Her calm, deliberate leadership guides teams through complex design challenges while supporting the development of emerging designers.

Since joining ZGF in 2006, she has played a central role in several of the firm’s most diverse and award-winning projects, including the US Embassy in Asuncion, Paraguay; Li Ka Shing Center Biomedical Lab at UC Berkeley; Pearl Izumi North American Headquarters; and the Portland International Airport Main Terminal Expansion, which was the firm’s largest project to-date and Oregon’s largest project in history.

On the Portland International Airport main terminal expansion and renovation project, Simon led the design and development of the mass timber roof and skylights through collaborative study models and light experiments with the University of Oregon School of Architecture’s Lighting Lab. Her work paired exposed timber with biophilic design principles to create simple, elegant solutions that integrate structure, sustainability, and human experience. She is also leading the design team for the University of Oregon’s new Child Behavioral Health Building in Portland, the university’s first mass timber building.