2002

AIA/IDP CHARETTE

mixed-use urban gateway mid-rise

 BLOCK 76

members

location

David Gabriel

Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

This building establishes a model for development of the inner east side of Portland.  The design superposes the diverse uses of this unique working neighborhood into a singular intensified environment.   Nine floors of office space rise above ground level retail that floats over a dynamic manufacturing space below.  Transparency between uses and experiential overlap of programs are maximized.

The block is filled to capacity.   Space is carved from the center to allow maximum exposure to light, air, and interior views.

The building mass reinforces the street edge and establishes a strategic density to balance the open spaces of the east bank and the freeway.

Retail engages the MLK edge.  The Burnside edge becomes an industrial storefront overlooking the manufacturing below to foreground the historical identity of this part of the city.

A stairway links the Burnside Bridge with the Third Avenue manufacturing entrance and the skate park.  At the top of this stair is a coffee shop/pub to be shared by all members of this east side community. 

Large-scale environmental graphics coat transparent surfaces with a strong retail identity and establish a dialogue with existing local signage.

The basalt and glass skin conflates the west side office tower, the east side storage house, and the distant volcanoes.  As light conditions change, this surface oscillates with varying degrees of transparency.

The concrete frame of the office block is supported by a structure that resists lateral and gravity loads while engaging the scale and expression of the Willamette bridges.  Post-tensioning of the concrete frame minimizes beam depth to provide ample ceiling heights.

The building is a breathing system.  Both the interior and exterior skins are doubled to create a thermal buffer and allow cavities vented with fresh air.  Conditioned air is supplied from a raised floor air plenum. A rooftop garden is part of a living machine that yields a more sustainable mechanical system and invites users to enjoy distant vistas from a new urban green space.