91视频

Two architecture firms headquartered in Portland have received from the American Institute of Architects.

Ankrom Moisan Architects was honored in the unbuilt category for the Blackburn Building and Eastside Health and Recovery Center in East Portland. ZGF Architects was recognized in the renovations/remodels category for the Cedars-Sinai physician office and urgent care center in Playa Vista, California. The two projects were among seven total honorees.

The jury looks to single out projects that are not just functional, but also solve civic and social concerns, according to Will Grimm, an Ankrom Moisan senior associate and the Blackburn Building design lead. In the end, he said, the competition is largely about how well each project tells a story.

鈥淚 was surprised,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 knew this was a great project and I knew it had a great story. We knew it was a special project, and maybe we were surprised because it’s hard to win; it’s very competitive. We knew it was unique, but we started to realize it does deserve a reward because the model of a clinic and transitional housing together is pretty unique; it doesn’t happen very often.鈥�

The Blackburn Building, due for completion next year, will combine health care with ground-floor retail space, 34 transitional studios and 118 single-room housing units. The facility will also offer palliative care for terminally ill patients, as well as a host of other health care offerings like addiction services and mental health treatment.

Mariah Kiersey, an Ankrom Moisan principal and the project manager, said the challenge of designing a building with such a complex mix of intended uses was actually a lot of fun, as well as satisfying both professionally and personally. Overall, she added, the most important result was ensuring that eventual residents will be comfortable.

鈥淟ooking at what they wanted and the housing for the people who were going to reside there, it was the importance of home,鈥� she said.

In addition, the shape of the property required that building be much taller than it is wide. That presented additional design challenges, Kiersey said, that led her team to design the building essentially as a series of pods to give different sections their own unique feel.

鈥淚t’s knowing you’re sharing spaces,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t’s about getting people different places to have outside spaces. It was about home and healing and some of it is just uplifting. It’s really those initial concepts that drive through everything.鈥�

Walsh Construction is the general contractor for the project, which is under construction at the northwest corner of East Burnside Street and Northeast 122nd Avenue.