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The opening of the Tilikum Crossing has given the public a never-before-seen view of Zidell Yards, a massive open space along the west bank of the Willamette River. The public shouldn’t get too used to the view, though. ZRZ Realty Co. Inc., which owns the property, doesn’t plan on keeping it the same for very long.

On Monday, ZRZ submitted the designs for Block 4 and Block 6 at Zidell Yards to the Portland Design Commission for review. The commission will discuss the projects on Sept. 24.

Working with design architect LEVER Architecture and architect of record GBD Architects, ZRZ has come up with two office buildings for the sites. Block 4, which will be six floors and 132,000 square feet, will be situated on Moody Avenue across from The Emery, an apartment complex in Zidell Yards that opened in 2013.

Block 6 will be situated next to Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People. It will be five floors and 255,000 square feet.

Matt French, managing director of Zidell Yards, said the buildings will fill a void of open floor-plan office space that currently is lacking in Portland.

鈥淭he goal of what we’re doing here is to build a different type of office building,鈥� French said. 鈥淭he companies (looking for offices in Portland) are not looking for what’s available. What’s available does not meet their needs. They want to be in creative space. They want to be in very open, very collaborative space. They want to communicate and interact much easier. They don’t want to be in Class A space. The office market for that kind of stuff is so tight right now.鈥�

At 33 acres, Zidell Yards is the largest plot of undeveloped land in the city. The recent opening of the light-rail Orange Line and the development being done in the area by Oregon Health and Science University have made the time right for ZRZ to begin a decades-long process of development, according to French.

鈥淵ou can’t underestimate the impact of the Orange Line,鈥� he said. 鈥淐ombine that with what OHSU is doing. Those are huge, huge things.鈥�

With the expansion that the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is doing on the west bank and the Orange Line making OMSI just a hop, skip and a jump from the west bank, French said he believes the area around the Zidell Yards 鈥渨ill emerge as a new center of gravity for the city. A new city center, if you will.鈥�

Block 4 will play off the surrounding areas of Zidell Yards, like The Emery, The Gantry food cart pod and the Portland Aerial Tram.

鈥淚t’s more about building on the context around it,鈥� French said. 鈥淚t really feels like it fits right there with the Emery. It’s nestled up against the Ross Island Bridge and the Emery. This is more about creating a little village out there, with the food carts and the tram. There’s an outdoor deck that looks out onto the Ross Island Bridge. And on the backside of this building, you’ll look down on the Emery.鈥�

Block 6 is essentially two buildings that will be connected by a multi-level, glass-enclosed bridge.

鈥淭here’s no building like this in Portland,鈥� French said. 鈥淓verywhere else in Portland has a tight, 200-by-200-foot grid. Which means pretty regular, square and rectangle types of buildings. Everyone who comes across (Tilikum Crossing) is going to look at this building.鈥�

Each of the floors in Block 6 will be about 52,000 square feet, which will allow for huge open space floor plans that French believes health care and technology companies will find attractive.

鈥淚f you’re a 100,000-square-foot company, most buildings you’d have to locate across five floors,鈥� French said. 鈥淭hat means there’s not cross pollination. It’s harder to communicate. Departments aren’t collaborative.

鈥�(In Block 6), they would locate on two floors. There’s big common spaces in the middle. That’s one of the biggest competitive advantages, particularly for health care and technology companies.鈥�

Because of the visibility of Block 6, French says his team is prepared for the fact that the Design Commission might focus more of its critique on that structure, rather than on Block 4. But he believes the project can stand up to the scrutiny.

鈥淲e earned a lot of credibility with them with The Emery. 鈥� I think these buildings match this level,鈥� French said.

鈥淲e’ve spend a lot of time on these buildings,鈥� he added. “These are very design-forward buildings.鈥�