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Portland-based Myhre Group Architects has earned a national award for its design of a Eugene senior housing complex.

The Waterford Grand project, recently completed on Goodpasture Island, won the Best Assisted Living category in Senior Housing News‘ 2014 Architecture & Design Awards. The annual competition recognizes cutting-edge design, excellence and innovation in senior housing.

A jury of design professionals with senior living expertise selected the Waterford Grand for the award. Jurors praised all the winning entries for making a difference in senior residents’ lives through innovative space planning and design.

The $24 million Waterford Grand project, led by Portland-based developer BPM Senior Living, encountered a number of challenges, according to the Myhre Group design team. At several points, land use appeals were filed; the eight-acre site’s proximity to the Willamette River raised environmental concerns. Also, the design became a moving target as the economy faltered and demands for senior housing shifted.

Myhre Group staffers in 2007 started designing the 120,000-square-foot complex with 64 memory care units, 64 assisted living units and 22 independent living units. Crews with Eugene-based Chambers Construction broke ground on the project this past June. A grand opening was held in late October.