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Spectacular mansions stretching out in seclusion. Urban lofts stacked in squares. Dramatic rooflines lines tucked against a backdrop of Oregon trees. The latest exhibit at the AIA Center for Architecture nods to the differences – and similarities – in play in Portland’s design work.    

The “Cross Section of 9” exhibit, which opens tomorrow, brings together the work of local architecture firms.

The exhibit was born out of the recently published Dream Homes  Pacific Northwest, a Panache Partners effort that features the work of Oregon and Washington architects. Work by nine Portland firms appears in the book. And that made, according to architect Richard Brown, for a natural intersection.  

“When the book came out, the nine architects involved thought that it would be an opportunity for us to tie the publication with an exhibit at the new AIA space,” Brown said.

It was also way for nine firms that do very different types of work to create a diverse show.

Brown’s work will sit alongside the Jeffrey Miller’s lush residences and Colab Architecture + Urban Design’s brash geometry. Vallaster & Corl Architects’ bold mixed-use work lines up with the Northwest modern of Dowd Architecture and the graceful wood lines of Hans Kretchmer of Green Gables’ work. Robertson Merryman Barnes Architects’ elegant solutions, Chesshir Architecture’s airy simplicity and Giulietti/Schouten Architects’ cross-section of 20 years of design will fill the rest of the wall.

The exhibit, said Jeff Guggenheim of Giulietti/Schouten, let the firm show a progression of work, from the recent Walnut House to the 1988 Waymire residence.

“This was one of the first projects that started the firm,” he said of the dynamic Council Crest home.

Each firm got equal billing, with eight boards – plus an introductory board – to do with what they liked. Each was assigned a color band as a unifying element. Defined in a palette of citrus, natural and leaf shades, boards will mingle on the wall. 

“It’s sort of a mosaic idea,” Stan Chesshir said.

The show will be the second for the AIA gallery space, which was christened in January with a John Yeon retrospective. And as the architects settle into the Pearl District, Brown said, they’re starting to make their presence known. 

“The public is just beginning to become aware of that space,” he said.