This brick gem in the heart of Brownstone Brooklyn is being given a new life as a two-family home. All Hands is providing the owner with full service architectural design and project management for the gut renovation. Thoughtful preservation of historic character will be combined with all new Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing services, structural repairs, and a new solar array on the roof. The building dates to the turn of the 19th Century, and we are renovating with an aim to preserve it as high quality housing for another 100+ years.
Chiles House (formerly The Annex Apartments) is a 4-story affordable housing complex that is co-developed by Catholic Charities of Oregon and Sister City. The building provides uplifting housing to the vulnerable and growing population that is currently experiencing homelessness in Portland. Trauma-informed design moves, including open-air, naturally lit corridors, provide a unique and thoughtful living experience in the heart of southeast Portland. It is also the first mass-timber affordable housing building in the Northwest. The project welcomed its first tenants in summer 2022, and the builder is Truebeck Construction. This project was the recipient of a Transformer Award from the Portland Business Journal for improving the city through architectural innovation. Photos 1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 11 are courtesy of Truebeck Construction.
Read a profile of some of the first residents of Chiles House here.
Read an in-depth review of Chiles House on World Architects.
Rocket Empire Machine is an adaptive reuse project, converting what was originally a 1949 Texaco Station into a set of micro-restaurants and a bar with shared seating. The existing building is made of prefabricated metal panels, which are being restored and seismically retrofitted. A new wood-framed addition along the sidewalk allows for a fourth restaurant tenant. An extensive outdoor patio with built-in seating, a fire pit, and stormwater mitigation completes the project. On the parking lot directly adjacent to the east, a two-story mixed use building with affordable cohousing is being built and internally subsidized by the developer.
This is a collaboration with Guerrilla Development, and the builder is Greg Palin General Contractor. Photos 1 &2 are courtesy of Guerrilla Development.
The Tree Farm is a six story 41,000 SF new construction office building, located in the Central Eastside Industrial District in Inner SE Portland. The site is directly adjacent to the Morrison Bridge, which connects the neighborhood to Downtown Portland.
The design is an iconic response to the generic status quo of speculative office space in Portland today. Each full-floor tenant space is punctuated with picture windows around the entire perimeter, providing high levels of natural light deep into the floor plate. In addition, voluntary setbacks on all four sides of the building help to maximize light and air exposure to the ground plane, as well as pedestrian circulation around the entire building.
All six stories and all four facades of The Tree Farm feature cantilevered tree planters that enhance the visual experience of tenants and passers by, while helping to clean the air, offsetting some of the carbon footprint of new construction, and contributing to passive cooling for the metal panel facade. Each tree planter has Integrated drip irrigation, fertilization, and fire protection features. The ground floor consists of retail/restaurant spaces, a lobby, extensive bike parking, and stormwater detention planters.
This building was designed with Brett Schulz Architect, collaborating with Guerrilla Development, and the builder is ProTeck Construction. Photography: Sean Gilligan
Pioneer Lavada Jones is an adaptive reuse project, converting a 1950’s garage building into retail, office and maker spaces. The central feature of the renovation is a courtyard in the middle of the building, where roofing was removed but original bowstring trusses were kept intact and preserved. This serves as an egress court, but it is also a ghosted legacy of the original structure, while providing a unique outdoor entry sequence and valuable light and air for the inner tenant spaces. New office spaces have new heavy timber mezzanines, oversize factory-style windows and garage doors opening onto the court. The building is located in inner Northeast Portland, on Sandy Boulevard, which was historically a spur of the Oregon Trail.
This building was designed with Brett Schulz Architect, collaborating with Guerrilla Development, and the builder is Bachelor General Contractor.
Located on one of the primary east-west thoroughfares of Portland, the Ankeny Apartments is a 41,000 SF, 5-story, 40-unit building with the ground floor containing retail spaces, a residential lobby and a parking garage. The only frontages are on the narrow sides of the 50’x200’ lot, offering an opportunity for bay windows to increase the livable space. The 5th floor is dormered from the primary pitched roof gable, with vaulted ceilings that create a more dynamic massing when viewed from the street. The roof form also provides a subtle nod to the adjacent context in Inner Southeast Portland. A mixture of contemporary and traditional materials - cement board panels, exposed concrete, mahogany shiplap, and standing seam metal roofing - establish the building as a contextual yet unique addition to the neighborhood. A pair of drywells under the building mitigate stormwater by infiltrating it into the ground.
This building was designed with Brett Schulz Architect, and the contractor was Solterra Systems. All photos are by Sean Gilligan Photography.
Located in the SoHo Cast Iron Historic District in New York City, this retail renovation posed a unique set of challenges. Like many buildings in the neighborhood, the original 1860′s facade is still intact, and is Landmarked by the city. A full survey of the existing conditions was conducted in order to ensure that the renovation would gracefully abut the existing storefront. The client, a luxury clothier, needed a flexible and clean design for the space. The entire store needed to be able to convert into an event space twice a year, with all fixtures and vitrines being fully removable. The solution was to implement a hanging cable system for clothing racks, which was could be fully removed and reconfigured. Due to settlement in the foundations, there was nearly 18″ of change in elevation from the front of the building to the rear. This was mitigated by shoring the existing floor joists and beams with additional structural plates, as well as designing a wide stair to transition from the front of the store and also serve as display space. This work required the pouring of a new concrete topping slab in the front of the store, as well as a new wooden subfloor in the rear to level the finished floor. The basement of the building was also fully renovated as offices and tailoring suites for the company.
As Project Manager in a small office, my role in this project included drafting a Bidding Document set, fixture fabrication drawings, and all the required drawings and paperwork for the Department of Buildings and Landmarks Preservation Commission filings. During demolition, I helped to coordinate M/E/P/Sprinkler and Structural work with unseen existing conditions. Throughout the process, frequent meetings with the owner’s representative and contractors were held to incorporate feedback and stay on budget. This project was completed with TRA Studio Architecture NY.
Han Oak is a new paradigm for the Live-Work restaurant, a growing trend in the service industry. Celebrated chef Peter Cho sought a loft space that would provide an intimate dining experience for a menu that leans toward traditional Korean dishes, while being able to live in the loft with his family. The solution was this 1940’s garage building. Board-formed concrete and old growth Douglas Fir beams are tempered by a clean modern aesthetic in the fixtures and furnishings. The entry sequence passes through an outdoor garden, creating an oasis in what was originally an auto-oriented block of industrial buildings. A full-height wall separates the restaurant from the living quarters of the loft, with transom windows to capitalize on natural daylight. New insulated garage doors enclose the restaurant while allowing for natural ventilation and daylight in the dining room. Working closely with the Building Department, Fire Marshal and Health Inspectors, we were able to find a common path towards completion for this unique project
Han Oak was completed with Brett Schulz Architect. Photo 1 & 2 by Grace Rivera, Photo 3 & 4 by Kari Young.
Restored in every sense, this project involved the gut renovation of a 4-story brick townhouse in the Greenwich Village Historic District. Originally built in 1850 as ground floor retail with apartments above, in the 1920’s it was converted to two stacked duplexes. As part of the renovation, the brick infill at the storefront was replaces with a hardwood and glass shop window to match 1850’s references. The upper 3 floors were converted into a triplex residence for the owner, with custom plasterwork and millwork.
Changing the building from residential to mixed use required extensive coordination with M/E/P/Sprinkler engineers as well as the Landmarks Commission and the Block Association. Now complete, this building anchors the north end of Bleecker Street and highlights a recent chapter in the ever-changing life of one of New York’s oldest streets.
This project was completed with Linda Yowell Architect, and the contractor was LMA Group.
Campana is an 1800 SF restaurant in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Portland. The owners are a husband-and-wife team from New York that specialize in meticulously crafted pasta, seasonal vegetables, sustainable meats, and inventive cocktails. The build-out required new wall framing to double the size of the commercial kitchen while making the dining area feel more open. A completely new bar, lighting, built-in furniture and lush greenery establish Campana as both a neighborhood fixture and a culinary destination.
The interiors are by Staicoff Design Studio, and the builder is Smith Arnold. Photos 1-3 Courtesy of Campana.
