Project Details
- Project Name
- Argyle Gardens
- Client/Owner
- Transition Projects
- Project Types
- Affordable Housing
- Project Scope
- New Construction
- Size
- 24,000 sq. feet
- Year Completed
- 2020
- Shared by
- Madeleine D'Angelo
- Project Status
- Concept Proposal
- Cost
- $8,500,000
2020 RADA Award Winner
Affordable Housing, Citation
Argyle Gardens
Portland, Ore.
Holst Architecture
To one of the pressing questions confronting residential architects today—How do you make affordable housing that doesn’t look like affordable housing?—Portland-based Holst Architecture has responded with a project that transforms economical materials and ease of construction into opportunities for aesthetic exploration. Argyle Gardens, located in the city’s Kenton neighborhood, is sited on a curious loop of public land that is wedged tightly between low-rise office buildings and commercial warehouses. The project consists of four simple brightly colored and gabled volumes that look enchantingly cartoonlike. On closer inspection, the broad face of each “house” is revealed to be its short end, a pseudo-façade split down the middle with one side recessed and clad in composite panels, and the other side protruding and featuring plastic glazing. The primary entrances are tucked into the cleft between the two sides of each façade, effectively hiding them from the street.
All this visual gamesmanship unfolds around 72 units, including studio apartments (located in the one stand-alone building) and communal co-living suites (in the three opposite structures) that will house single workers, the recently homeless, or low-income families. Playful as the buildings are, their decidedly domestic appearance and village-like arrangement serve an important purpose: creating a warm, communal atmosphere while making the most of a marginalized site.
PROJECT CREDITS
Project: Argyle Gardens, Portland, Ore.
Client: Transition Projects
Architects: Holst Architecture, Portland, Ore. Dave Otte, AIA (partner-in-charge / project manager), Kevin Valk (design director), Kim Wilson, AIA (quality director), Dustin Furseth (senior designer), Ben Ott (job capitan), Erin Fox (design staff)
Modular Design and Fabrication: Mods PDX
Construction Manager: Walsh Construction
Civil Engineer: KPFF
Structural Engineer: All Structure
Mechanical Engineer: MFIA
Electrical Engineer: Samata
Landscape Architect: 2.Ink
Acoustical Consultant: Acoustic Design Studio
Sustainability Consultant: Earth Advantage
MATERIALS & SOURCES
Modular Units: Mods PDX
Appliances: GE (fridges), Whirlpool (fridges), Premier (ranges)
Bathroom Fixtures: Grohe (faucets), La Cava (sinks)
Cabinets: Lanz Thermofoil
Countertops: Formica Laminate
Exterior Wall Systems: Hardie Board, DuoGuard (polycarbonate)
Flooring: Patcraft/Shaw PVT
Kitchen fixtures: Elkay, Just Manufacturing
Lighting: Halo, RP Lighting (ceiling fans), Sistemalux (exterior)
Paints and Finishes: Miller Paint
Photovoltaics or other Renewables: Iron Ridge
Site and Landscape Products: Thermory Decking, Ecoblock