As part of the continuing effort to develop and build innovative, urban, infill housing, Owen Gabbert, LLC completed a coliving project in North Portland. Located on a 2800 sf lot with an existing 1890s single family home, the property was acquired to develop the small portion of land to the East of the original home. The new 4000 sf duplex functions in concert with the existing house to form a 16-bedroom community run by OpenDoor, a coliving operator and frequent collaborator. The community consists of 4 bedrooms in the original home and 12 bedrooms with a mix of shared and private bathrooms in the new duplex. The new building has a beautiful, modern design with an entire open floor of dedicated fully furnished common space – including a large communal kitchen, dining and living spaces.

Located on a dead-end street next to the I-5 freeway, this project reflects a willingness to tackle challenging sites with significant constraints - both as a builder and a developer. Rather than bemoaning those challenges, the team embraced them from the outset, developing a site responsive design that maximizes the building size within the available space. To maximize usable space, create room for a terrace, and orient the building towards desirable views, the team pursued a modern take on the city’s oriel window standard allowing the building to cantilever over the street. The building’s 3rd floor pivots from the floors below to create a dynamic architectural element that engages with the dead-end street and creates a visual impact when seen while driving on the freeway or crossing over it on Skidmore Street. The completed project features an unusual siding detail made of prefinished cedar in a reverse board and batten style and a unique cornice design to satisfy the requirements of the city’s community design standards.

Architect: Beebe Skidmore Architects
Developer: Owen Gabbert, LLC
Structural Engineer: Allstructure Engineering
Photographer: Lincoln Barbour Studio

Read more about the project on Metropolis.