Tag: portland | ArchDaily

Multnomah County Library Operations Center / Hennebery Eddy Architects

Pilar Caballero — Sat, 17 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000

The "beating heart" of the Multnomah County Library system – because it keeps the entire system running – the new Operations Center is essential for effectively managing more than 500,000 catalogue materials and outreach services. This adaptive reuse project transformed a vacant 1995 grocery store into a bustling 73,000-square-foot workplace in vehicle-dominated east Portland. The Operations Center is the first project to meet Multnomah County's ambitious fossil fuel-free buildings resolution and anticipates LEED Gold certification as well as Living Future Net-Zero Energy certification. The design prominently features more than 600 solar panels that will fully offset the building's energy use.

Ellen Browning Building / Hacker Architects

Andreas Luco — Sun, 28 Sep 2025 11:00:00 +0000

The genesis for the mixed-use residential Ellen Browning Building arose when a group of close friends considered how they could preserve their relationships during their last years. Co-housing, with its spirit of community and shared living spaces, provided the answer. By developing their own residential building, the friends would be able to balance togetherness with the independence of urban living. The site they selected is set within a vibrant retail and commercial district along Division Street in Southeast Portland. Like many seniors, choosing to live in a walkable, amenity-supported and health-care rich city is an aging-in-place strategy.

How Amsterdam Uses the Doughnut Economics Model to Create a Balanced Strategy for Both the People and the Environment

Maria-Cristina Florian — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 04:00:00 +0000

In 2020, in the midst of the first wave of lockdowns due to the pandemic, the municipality of Amsterdam announced its strategy for recovering from this crisis by embracing the concept of the “Doughnut Economy.” The model is developed by British economist Kate Raworth and popularized through her book, “Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist”, released in 2017. Here, she argues that the true purpose of economics does not have to equal growth. Instead, the aim is to find a sweet spot, a way to balance the need to provide everyone with what they need to live a good life, a “social foundation” while limiting our impact on the environment, “the environmental ceiling.” With the help of Raworth, Amsterdam has downscaled this approach to the size of a city. The model is now used to inform city-wide strategies and developments in support of this overarching idea: providing a good quality of life for all without putting additional pressure on the planet. Other cities are following this example.

Skylab Headquarters + SkylabSHOP / Skylab Architecture

Hana Abdel — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000

After outgrowing their longtime downtown Portland, Oregon, workspace, Skylab Architecture sought a new location that could support the evolving needs of their interdisciplinary practice. The vision was not just for more room, but for a dynamic campus that could integrate design, fabrication, community engagement, and experimentation. A triangular lot in Portland's Northwest Industrial District provided the opportunity to realize that vision.

Architecture Now: From India’s New Administrative Capital to Singapore’s Expanding Airport, Discover Projects by Foster + Partners, SOM, Heatherwick Studio, and More

Nour Fakharany — Fri, 16 May 2025 04:00:00 +0000

From new city-scale developments to adaptive reuse proposals, this edition of Architecture Now highlights a range of recently announced projects around the world. Foster + Partners leads the restart of Amaravati, a planned capital city in India; Safdie Architects proposes a new tower in Portland's historic Old Port; and SOM breaks ground on a cultural and academic pavilion at Temple University. Other updates include a preservation plan for a historic bridge in Prague, a coastal hospitality development in Abu Dhabi, and a large-scale housing project in Brooklyn designed by TenBerke. Together, these projects reflect evolving priorities in housing, sustainability, heritage, and public space across diverse global contexts.

Forest-to-Frame: LEVER Architecture on Regenerative Design and Material Sourcing

Ankitha Gattupalli — Mon, 12 May 2025 07:30:00 +0000

There is a renewed interest in how food is produced and how its creation affects the well-being of both the land and the communities it supports. A similar shift is occurring in architecture, where material culture is emerging as the backbone of design innovation. LEVER Architecture exemplifies this movement with its pioneering "forest-to-frame" model, an approach that reimagines architecture not as an extractive process, but as a regenerative force with positive impacts that extend well beyond the boundaries of any individual building site.

Architecture Now: 3XN, Foster + Partners, and More Redefine Redevelopment and Community Design

Nour Fakharany — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 05:30:00 +0000

This month's architecture news highlights a strong focus on sustainability, adaptive reuse, and innovative community-centered design. From environmentally responsive urban developments to cultural and recreational spaces, architects are redefining how buildings interact with their surroundings. Notable examples include 3XN's Sydney Fish Market redevelopment, which integrates public accessibility with climate-sensitive design, and CambridgeSeven's Seneca Park Zoo expansion, which blends conservation efforts with immersive visitor experiences. Whether it's the creation of high-performance sports facilities in Portland or the transformation of historic sites into contemporary hubs, these projects showcase the evolving role of architecture in shaping communities. Read on to discover the latest architectural news and developments.

Alpenglow Community Park / Fieldwork Design and Architecture

Hana Abdel — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Alpenglow Community Park, a newly developed 37-acre site in Bend, Oregon, showcases the natural beauty of the high desert landscape. The park's name and architecture are inspired by the volcanic peaks of the Three Sisters and the Cascade Mountain Range, which dominate the western view. The project features three structures: an event pavilion, a picnic/restroom shelter, and a pedestrian bridge. The material palette integrates weathering steel, ribbed concrete, and locally sourced Ponderosa Pine, drawing inspiration from the site's native vegetation, colors, and basalt rock formations.

From Concrete to Green Canopies: Revitalizing Cities Through Natural Design

Moises Carrasco — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 04:00:00 +0000

The journey toward renaturalizing urban spaces is an ongoing effort that began as early as the 1970s and continues to shape cities worldwide today. From transforming highways into vibrant parks to restoring waterways and integrating nature into urban planning, these projects reflect a shared commitment to sustainability, livability, and resilience. In Portland, the 1978 creation of Tom McCall Waterfront Park set a pioneering example by replacing a highway with green spaces. Decades later, Boston followed with the Rose Kennedy Greenway, reclaiming land from the elevated Central Artery.

The Mori House / SHED Architecture & Design

Pilar Caballero — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 16:00:00 +0000

Originally designed by prominent Pacific Northwest architect Saul Zaik, this 1963 mid-century modern house is remodeled for a young, minimalist family.

2024 Retrospective: Uncovering the Stories Behind Iconic Projects

Camilla Ghisleni — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 08:30:00 +0000

How many stories are hidden behind every line and every wall? Each project serves a purpose, and its creation leaves a lasting impression on the environment it inhabits. ArchDaily's AD Narratives series seeks to uncover the fascinating—and often unexpected—stories that breathe life into selected projects. Through in-depth research, the series delves into the unique details of the design and construction processes, exploring the cultural, social, and political contexts that have shaped each work.

Transforming Portland: How a Demolished Highway Became a Pioneering Waterfront Park

Moises Carrasco — Sun, 24 Nov 2024 07:30:00 +0000

Urban landscapes are shaped by the infrastructure we prioritize, reflecting the needs and values of society at a given moment in time. One striking example of this evolution is Portland's Harbor Drive—a highway that was once an artery of heavy automobile traffic but was later demolished to make way for a waterfront park. This transformation not only reshaped downtown Portland, Oregon, United States but also marked a significant milestone in urban planning: the removal of a major highway in favor of public space. Harbor Drive's story set the stage for a growing trend of reducing urban traffic infrastructure and reimagining cities for people rather than cars.

Exploring the Legacy of Modernism in Landscape Architecture

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 04:00:00 +0000

Modernist landscape architecture marked a radical shift from traditional garden designs, emphasizing simplicity, functionality, and a stronger connection between people and their environments. From the 1930s through the 1960s, this movement saw the emergence of visionary landscape architects who integrated form and function in ways that redefined outdoor spaces. Their designs responded to the rapidly evolving urban landscapes of the time, prioritizing usability and creating environments that could accommodate modern life. The enduring influence of these principles continues to shape contemporary practices, while also presenting unique challenges in preservation as these landscapes age.

The N M Bodecker Foundation / Skylab Architecture

Bianca Valentina Roșescu — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 16:00:00 +0000

The NM Bodecker Foundation was established in 2017 by Sandy Bodecker to provide creative communities with a dynamic mix of in-person spaces for workshops, gatherings, and collaboration. Housed in a collection of repurposed 1950s-era warehouses and a former parking lot in northwest Portland, the Foundation occupies what was originally conceived as Bodecker’s creative home. Bodecker was inspired by the sense of discovery that comes from the journey and of seeing things in new ways; his analog was that of a labyrinth and the building is an embodiment of that idea.

Sustainable Policy: How Deconstruction Plans Are Revolutionizing Construction Waste Management in the United States

Ankitha Gattupalli — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 08:30:00 +0000

For a long time, the construction industry has followed a linear process - extract raw materials, build structures, demolish them, and then dispose of the garbage in landfills. This approach has serious negative effects on the environment and society and is inherently unsustainable. Reconsidering traditional methods and workflows requires support from all stakeholders and a sense of urgency proclaimed by authorities. In the United States, city organizations have begun to implement new policies to keep construction waste out of landfills and support circular practices. Several cities like Seattle and Pittsburgh, have started implementing deconstruction ordinances that require older buildings to be carefully deconstructed rather than demolished. How might their key provisions influence circular practices in the country?

Affordable Housing in Portland: 3 Innovative Approaches to Design and Construction

Carla Bonilla Huaroc — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 04:00:00 +0000

Despite the bad reputation of public housing in the United States, organizations, planners, and architects in Portland, Oregon are determined to create affordable housing that does not sacrifice quality or aesthetic appeal. While Portland has developed a bad reputation regarding its homelessness problem, in the past four years resources have flowed in the right direction, and designers have taken this in stride to design livable and striking buildings, within very restrictive budgets. Through innovative and creative approaches to construction and design, these organizations and designers have utilized federal, state, and city resources to make these types of projects a reality.

Mississippi Workshop / Waechter Architecture

Hadir Al Koshta — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 16:00:00 +0000

Designed and developed by Waechter Architecture, the Mississippi Workshop is the result of over ten years of planning, modeling, and investigation. The building was conceived as a proving ground for sustainable building systems and “all-wood” construction technologies and equally, as a forum for new creative conversations. Located on a prominent site in Portland’s vibrant Mississippi Avenue district, the 9,550-square-foot building offers a new model for sustainable and sensitive infill development. In many ways, the Workshop is a 21st Century interpretation and upgrade of the classic industrial loft typology that offers a balance of character, flexibility, and timelessness.

Alaska State Library Archives Museum / Hacker Architects

Pilar Caballero — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 15:00:00 +0000

Located on the waterline at the entrance to downtown Juneau, the Andrew P. Kashevaroff State Library, Archives, and Museum is the new anchor for a budding arts and culture district in Alaska’s capital city. Known as SLAM, this new facility is designed as a consolidated home for the Alaska state museum, archives, and library divisions, whose shared mission is to preserve, protect, and share Alaska’s historical artifacts and documents.