The proposed 12 story wood building by Beneficial State Bank at 430 NW 10th
The Oregonian reported that a planned 12 story tall wood building at 430 NW 10th in the Pearl has been awarded a $1.5 million grant by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The building by Lever Architecture for Beneficial State Bank will utilize Cross Laminated Timber, a structural system that has been proven elsewhere but has been little used in the USA. The USDA grant will help in covering the cost of getting the system approved under the building codes in place in Oregon.
Eater PDX reported that Northwest Portland institution Besaw’s will reopen in time for the holidays, at the LL Hawkins apartment building on Conway Block 296.
At Portland Architecture Brian Libby looked into the fate of Centennial Mills, and asked whether it will be the next historic landmark in Portland to be demolished.
The Portland Business Journal published the first renderings of Zidell Blocks 4 and 6. The two office buildings by Lever Architecture / GBD Architects are scheduled to go before the Design Commission for Design Advice this coming Thursday.
A major renovation and seismic upgrade is planned for the Towne Storage Building. The Portland Business Journal reported that the project will create over 100,000 sq ft of creative office space. A story in the Portland Mercury noted that 52 existing business and 180 renters with mini storage units will be evicted from the building.
A redevelopment of the former Premier Press building at 1440 Hoyt will add 4 new floors to the building, reported the Portland Business Journal. When complete the project will include 75,000 sq ft of Class A office space. A Design Review hearing for the project is scheduled for October 1st.
Mayor Hales is “bullish” on plans to buy the Post Office site in the Pearl, reported KOIN. Conceptual ideas for how the site might be developed were recently released as part of the Broadway Corridor Framework Plan.
Construction is underway on the remodel of the building formerly home to The Oregonian, originally designed by noted architect Pietro Belluschi. When reopened 1320 Broadway will include areas with ceilings up to 28′ high, reported The Portland Business Journal.
The Daily Journal of Commerce published construction photos of Riverscape Lot 8.
The Portland Habilitation Center recently completed work on an apartment complex at 17199 SE Division St, reports the Portland Tribune. By keeping costs low, the buildings were built for $65,000 a unit; far below the $200,000 a unit cost typically associated with publicly funded affordable housing. In the article Rob Justus of the PHC asks why the Portland Housing Bureau hasn’t gotten behind their alternative method for delivering affordable housing.
Dear Architectural Review Commission; This project for the Albina Bank in NW Glisan and 10th street (The Pearl), needs to be re-studied; the Pearl has a certain architectural language, materials and scale that needs to be preserved to keep the Pearl as successful as it has been thus far, the proposed design is a classical example of a project wanting to be published in an national Architectural magazine for creativity, but nor for contextual sensibility (I’m an architect in the east coast and an owner in a Pearl District building unit),
[editor note – this comment was moved to a more relevant location]