12th and Alder / GBD Architects

Architects: GBD Architects
Location: Portland, Oregon, United States
Design Team: Agustin Enriquez, Jesse Emory, Craig Norman, Matt Fitzgerald, Marcus Lima
Client: Lease Crutcher Lewis
Area: 20,000 sq ft
Photographs: Josh Partee

The Culver Building renovation at SW 12th & Alder is located in downtown Portland’s west end. On this quarter-block site GBD designed a 6,000 sq. foot glass- and aluminum-skinned structure on top of the original 20,000 sq. foot, two-story building from 1920. The building retains the existing foundation, cast-in-place concrete perimeter walls, wood roof structure, and a majority of the heavy timber girders, beams and columns.

The ground floor now offers 4,000 sq. ft. of retail, 13 parking stalls, a small office lobby, and new windows to replace the existing 1970s-vintage aluminum storefront. The existing 10,000 sq. foot second level was renovated from parking to office space. Two wood decks surround the new third floor.

Lease Crutcher Lewis is a regional construction company that served as the client and contractor on this project, which was executed in a design-build manner. They now occupy the third floor of the building.

The building was a parking garage before the renovation project. Before that, it was used by a glass company and for other light industrial uses. Seismic upgrades included new moment frame, helical piles and drag connections at new concrete masonry unit (CMU) walls.

3,500 lineal feet of wood were salvaged during demolition and reused during the project, and 91 percent of construction waste was diverted from the landfill.