Connections

Portland is aptly named.  It is a port city connected to the region and rest of the work by two rivers.  Even within the city, numerous bridges connect across those rivers, giving the city the apt nickname of Bridgetown.

This project explores physical and metaphysical connections, connecting the residents and tenants to each other, the neighborhood, the city, the world.

The building, like many in Portland is a courtyard building with a commercial storefront at the street.  A residential tower aligns with the tracks on the west.  The courtyard is not just for residents.  A large opening at the corner and midway along the street pull the public into the courtyard.  Steps and platforms in the courtyard serve as stages for public lectures and performances by groups hired by the management company, local open mic nights, or even neighborhood children performing their latest plays.

Public space continues over the top of the building as a continuous park accessed from public stairs and elevators.  The park includes a tree lined, looping path with plenty of places to sit, an outside theater, and a playground.  Over the residential wing are semiprivate gardens for residents where they can grow their own food or flowers.  At the top, residents can gather as a neighborhood on their own patio with views of the city all around and to the river to the east.  Water features and birds drawn by the trees and landscaping help mask the city noise.

The residential tower dominates the west side of the courtyard and includes a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments as well as lofts.  All apartments allow residents to work from home or run their own business.  For residents who prefer to work (or school) away from their home, they have priority to rent storefront and office space on site or use the common library with hoteling space and private meeting rooms for educational or business use. 

Limited parking below the residential wing includes car and bike share vehicles for residents.

Simple materials with complex textures change as sun moves across the sky and wind blows through the leaves of trees and plantings on the walls; reminders of the greater world beyond the walls.

Process

My design process started with review of the brief followed by research into geography and geology of the region. I looked at maps and images of site and surrounding areas.  I often switched back and forth from regional to local scale until a concept finally clicked. 

As I mentioned in the description, bridges were the catalyst for the concept; and not just bridges across water.  At first the building was just a  vertical link, from the earth to the sky by bringing a park up onto roof, but this morphed into a continuous ramped park raised up above the earth that also promotes porosity horizontally from the street into the building.

I returned back to the brief.  The potential to link was right there:  linking residential and commercial, home to work, street to park. 

“Connections” became the natural title and as I added more detail, I explored how spaces might connect the people, the city, the environment…

Tectonics are very geological, but they are also reference bridges and bridge abutments.  Details explore elemental tectonic themes: earth, metal, sunlight, landscape and how they impact each other.  Materials are intentionally simple: mostly concrete, bronze, and wood .  The materials will weather and patina over time, but will always remain muted relying on shadows cast by the sun over the textured surfaces and on the colors of the landscape and sky.