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Putting housing above a public library, Portland takes another pioneering
step toward urban density.
By Liz Nakazawa
The Metropolis Observed
October 2002
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A Portland, Oregon, mixed-use development combines a county library, a
restaurant, and apartments--nearly half of which are reserved for
low-income residents.
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© Lara Swimmer Photography
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Portland, Oregon--city of bike trails, official sustainability principles,
and the urban-growth boundary--now boasts an energy-efficient mixed-use
library complex. The Hollywood Library, Bookmark Apartments, and Caffe Uno,
which all opened in May, create what is possibly the country's first
joint venture between a public library and a private developer. The project
is also the latest in the region's well-known and often pioneering efforts
to prevent sprawl and increase urban density.
The Hollywood Library is one of three branches being replaced in countywide
library system im-provements. Officials wanted a mixed-use project,
preferably with housing on top, that would comply with zoning changes in
an area where residential and commercial development have previously been
segregated. The solidly middle-class turn-of-the-century neighborhood consists
primarily of single-family residences on tree-lined streets, but residents
and city officials alike are encouraging a mix of commercial and residential
growth. "Mixed-use development allows people to live near the services
they want to enjoy," says John Warner, finance coordinator of
the Portland Development Commission, the city's urban-renewal agency. "It
also provides a higher density of residences, so the transportation infrastructure
we are developing will likely result in increased ridership."
Sockeye Hollywood--a firm that has experience with mixed-use buildings
and owns the apartments and café--was chosen to develop the project,
which is within walking distance of stores, and bus and light-rail lines.
As stipulated by a loan from the city, 19 of the 47 apartment units are
reserved for households below the area's median income.
"The county exhibited foresight and leadership by taking a risk on
mixed-use development and utilizing the air space above the library,"
Warner says. Not surprisingly there were design challenges inherent to the
unique project. "Typically when the city or county wants to develop
a civic project it is viewed as a stand-alone building," says Francesca
Gambetti, development manager for Shiels Obletz Johnsen Inc., the firm
that managed construction. "The level of architecture is expected to
be greater than what a rental housing project can bring to it." According
to Gambetti, architects plan for a 100-year life when designing civic structures,
but with residential projects quality is often compromised for financial
feasibility. "One of the key elements was to make sure the design of
the housing components rose to the level of importance of this civic building,"
she says. Two such components are a facade of brick--a material rarely found
in West Coast housing--and large energy-efficient windows.
Because the design also needed to be in keeping with Portland's civic tradition
as a leader in green architecture, the building features low-toxic water-based
paints, energy-efficient appliances in all the apartments, and an energy-conserving
reflective roof. The grounds include a bioswale, an open channel with
plant life that catches water runoff and filters out pollutants. "It
was a huge challenge to build a public ground floor with domestic upper
floors," says Will Dann of Thomas Hacker and Associates, the principal
architects. "But it all came together nicely as one building."
Portland residents seem to agree. "People really like the idea of living
above a library," Gambetti says. "They like the convenience of
being able to walk downstairs to borrow a book or a movie, or walk to the
store to buy milk."
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