NEW COLUMBIA, Portland, OR

Columbia Villa was temporary housing for shipyard workers, turned over to the Housing Authority of Portland (HAP) for public housing after WWII. Under the HOPE VI program, the 80 acres was re-born as New Columbia. Michael Willis Architects (MWA), with Larry as Director of Housing, designed 308 units of family rental housing in Phase II. The Master Plan and Phase I (which consisted of 300 units of rental housing, 150 units of for-sale housing built by private developers, and some mixed-use facilities) were designed by other architects.

Since a disproportionate amount of funds had been spent on Phase I, Larry quickly guided the team to very cost-effective solutions, using two-story buildings that did not require sprinklers, and efficient—though highly livable—unit designs. These in turn were grouped into different “big houses”, in which several smaller units would be gathered together into a contextually-sized building. The buildings were then rendered in either a “village” flavor where the project abutted traditional neighborhoods, or with a more contemporary “urban” flavor, at the center of the site flanking the new central park and Main Street.

The project was funded largely through a series of Tax Credits. Larry’s focus on critical design issues, simple construction processes and standard details was crucial to meeting the tight budget and time constraints.

Program: 307 units of family rental flats and townhouses, new private drives with surface parking, common greens, and extensive landscaping. Project involved a portion of the overall 82 acre site.
Construction Type: 2 story, Type V-1 Hour slab-on-grade.
Funding: HOPE VI and a series of Low Income Housing Tax Credits.
Client: Housing Authority of Portland.
Completed: 2006