ASLI BETUL GERMIRLI 

Completed together with Frank Fuentes.

 

Location: Portland, OR, USA

 

The “perFORM” competition has asked us to design a live-work space in Portland, Oregon. The site is 206’ x 253’ and is located on the intersection of Sandy Boulevard, Couch Street and Burn Street. In terms of urban aspects of Portland, Sandy Boulevard performs as a seam connecting the commercial zone (North-Northwest) to the residential zone (South-Southeast). We have been given a unique opportunity to design on a precisely located site which responds to the greater urban environment and seams together the commercial and residential zones through a live-work complex. In addition, the views to the Northwest of downtown Portland, and to the East of Mount Hood mountain are parameters that inform the site intervention.

 

As designers, we are interested in the idea of in the notion of live-work spaces, and thus have identified three types of interpretations of the live-work activity:

1. A dwelling offering programmatic spaces of living and working within one unit.

2. A residential unit paired with a commercial ground space.

3. A dwelling separate from the commercial space connecting the site intervention to the urban fabric.

 

Design : Residential

Each of the 26 dwelling units measures 25x40’ and provide 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, generous studio work space, a double height outdoor terrace that faces the courtyard.

 

Design : Commercial

Each commercial space follows the 25x40’ modular grid and provide copious space for various commercial programs. These programs include a spinning room, a school of music, gallery spaces, restaurants, bars, office spaces and a market. The multitude of programs attempt to create a self-contained complex located within Portland.