block 30

 2019 

Proposed 5-story timber frame building to be built in an industrial mixed-use neighborhood in Northeast Portland.

​

In order to accomodate the recent exponential growth of their family-owned business, this homegrown Portland company decided to redevelop one of their underutilized industrial properties into a new 5-story office building. The ground floor will be rededicated to their existing warehousing needs while the upper floors will provide much needed office and research space for their rapidly burgeoning business. This expansion will not only help the company alleviate some of their growing pains, but will also bring new life and energy to a relatively quiet mixed-use neighborhood. The interior and exterior of the proposed building was designed to reflect the natural Northwest palette while simultaneously offering something new to the current architectural epoch of the city. The building's high, exposed timber frame ceilings will be seen through large floor-to-ceiling glass openings playfully articulated on all four facades. Several smaller recessed decks and the large rooftop terrace compliment the glazing pattern carved into the stone clad envelope. The smooth, dark cladding of the upper office floors will sit atop a lighter, locally quarried basalt base that differentiates the warehousing functions with the storage mezzanine above it. The ashlar masonry also helps bring the taller building closer to the human scale at the sidewalk level while showcasing a tactile, visually-interesting material that is found throughout the natural setting.