Portland, OR
60,000 sf
Office
2019
AIA Portland, Honor Award
Restore Oregon, DeMuro Award
Portland Business Journal, Transformer Award
Wood Design & Building Awards, Citation Award
Architect's Newspaper Best of Design Awards, Honorable Mention, Adaptive Reuse category
WoodWorks, Wood Design Awards, Commercial Low-Rise Category
DJC Oregon TopProjects Awards, Second Place, Major Renovation Category
Langley Investment Partners commissioned LEVER to design Redfox Commons, a 60,000 sf renovation that knits together two World War II era warehouses to form one light-filled creative office campus. The buildings, once home to an agricultural equipment company, are located at Guild’s Lake Industrial Sanctuary, one of Portland’s largest industrial areas. This project sits at the southern end of the industrial park, bordering a residential neighborhood, the city’s largest urban park, and the Willamette River.
The project is located on the site of the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, a historic event and catalyst for major population growth in Portland during the early twentieth century.
The existing industrial structures were built during the 1940s for J.A. Freeman and Sons, makers of agricultural equipment such as hay balers.
Like many early structures in the Pacific Northwest, the buildings are framed with heavy timber. Recognizing the historic and environmental significance of this material, the renovation preserves and restores the original lumber. The original trusses were sandblasted and remain exposed, highlighting the natural beauty of the wood. New eighty-foot long clerestory windows were added to each roof to bring light into the large open floor plates, intended to accommodate single or multiple tenants and varied uses over time.
Wood from an existing overbuilt mezzanine is repurposed to create a light-filled glass atrium that becomes the main entrance and connection between the two buildings.
Each color on the diagram indicates a different board length, providing the contractor with a reference point for selecting and placing the reclaimed timber.
5/6
Construction of the mass timber connecting structure.
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The connecting structure is made from timber that salvaged on site.
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During demolition, the existing structures were taken down to their original heavy timber frames.
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Digging the foundation for the new connecting structure.
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The east cuilding's original heavy timber structure is exposed following demolition.
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Installation of the weathering steel.
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Construction of the mass timber connecting structure.
6/6
The connecting structure is made from timber that salvaged on site.
1/6
During demolition, the existing structures were taken down to their original heavy timber frames.
2/6
Digging the foundation for the new connecting structure.
The material palette was selected to complement the industrial neighborhood’s history and identity: the façade and roof are clad in corrugated weathering steel and a ribbon of metal framed storefront windows provide new views to the surroundings.
The project is located on the site of the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, a historic event and catalyst for major population growth in Portland during the early twentieth century.
The existing industrial structures were built during the 1940s for J.A. Freeman and Sons, makers of agricultural equipment such as hay balers.
Wood from an existing overbuilt mezzanine is repurposed to create a light-filled glass atrium that becomes the main entrance and connection between the two buildings.
Each color on the diagram indicates a different board length, providing the contractor with a reference point for selecting and placing the reclaimed timber.
