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The Jupiter NEXT hotel was designed by one of Portland’s hottest architecture firms in a hip stretch of Lower Burnside. At night, the block pulses with the energy of tourists with money to spend and young locals on dates.

The hotel, at 900 E. Burnside St., pops up in Instagram with pictures of its new bar, Hey Love, and thoughtfully designed interior settings. The exterior was clad with asphalt shingles after the City Council overruled a condition imposed by the Design Commission to require metal cladding.

Yet, according to Julie Livingston, the Design Commission’s chairwoman, the $200-a-night hotel has a problem. Some of the shingles appear to be sliding out of place only a few months after the hotel opened, she said.

In places, the shingles are affixed with only adhesive. A visit to the building revealed some shingles are not fully flush against the fa莽ade.

Erik Timmons, president and CEO of general contractor Yorke & Curtis, acknowledged some of the shingles need additional work. The issues are fixable and under warranty, he said.

鈥淭here is a detail on that building where a certain number of shingles 鈥� it’s a very small percentage 鈥� are adhered to with adhesive rather than a fastener,鈥� Timmons said. 鈥淪o we’ve had some issues with that, and we’re dealing with it. It’s still a warrantable issue.鈥�

The asphalt-shingle exterior was allowed by the City Council in a one-off exception in 2016. The Design Commission had pressed design firm Works Progress Architecture (then called Works Partnership Architecture) to use a different cladding material. The project team appealed the Design Commission’s decision to the City Council, which overruled the commission.

The building was constructed with asphalt shingles that hug the exterior as it moves around sharp edges, rounded curves and overhangs. The shingles give the building’s exterior a 鈥渟oft, sexy feel,鈥� Works Progress Architecture principal and owner Carrie Strickland said.

The shingles’ durability was discussed at an Oct. 17 City Council meeting. Commissioner Nick Fish asked Livingston for her thoughts on Jupiter NEXT, which officially opened June 1.

鈥淚t’s now been built and I’ve been dying to ask you after the fact what your verdict is,鈥� Fish said.

Livingston replied that the shingles are not holding up.

鈥淲hen you visit that building, you will likely notice that on the surfaces that are vertical or inverted, that the shingles are responding to gravity,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd the way that shingles are attached, it’s a pretty simple system. There are few points 鈥� for all intents and purposes, just simple nails that hold the shingles in place 鈥� and so there is an immense amount of gravity acting against those points where the shingles are attached. Some of them are already starting to slide.鈥�

The council chamber was quiet for a moment. Then, Fish responded, 鈥淥K. So, I should have assumed you were prepared for that.鈥�

The council quickly moved on to other topics.

Iain Mackenzie, a local architect and blogger, drew attention to the issue on Twitter.

鈥淪o maybe it wasn’t a great idea for the City Council to play Design Commission, and allow asphalt shingles?鈥� he wrote. 鈥淣ow that the project is built, I think it’s clear that the Design Commission was right.鈥�

The success or failure of the shingles as exterior cladding could influence future projects. While the shingle cladding has been used in other cities, Jupiter NEXT’s extensive use of the material makes the hotel a singular demonstration of the technique in Portland.

Strickland, in an interview, defended the use of asphalt shingles at Jupiter NEXT.

鈥淚t’s an incredibly unfair account of the actual situation,鈥� she said of Livingston’s comments. 鈥淚n any building that’s newly finished, something comes up on a punch list to fix it. It doesn’t mean that there’s a system failure.鈥�

Livingston did not respond to a message left at her office at Home Forward.

The Design Commission is tasked with weighing proposed designs against city guidelines, including one that calls for materials with 鈥渜uality and permanence.鈥� The commission frequently asks architects and developers to switch out cheaper materials for more durable ones.

The shingles carry a longer warranty than comparable cladding materials, Strickland said. The council’s 2016 decision to overrule the Design Commission was an appropriate move that recognized an innovative use of building materials, she said.

鈥淐ommission just didn’t want to set a precedent, and they were afraid to do that,鈥� Strickland said. 鈥淪o that’s why we went through the process we did.

鈥淚’m sure they’re sensitive to being overruled by City Council.鈥�

Kelsey Bunker, the owner of Jupiter NEXT and the neighboring Jupiter Hotel, said no issues with the shingles had been reported to her.

鈥淚 don’t know what she’s talking about,鈥� Bunker said of Livingston’s comments.

Bunker said she paid for extra sealant to properly affix the shingles.

鈥淚 know I paid a heck of a lot of money to have everything double-sealed,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou need one bead 鈥� I had to pay for two beads. It absolutely doubled the cost of gluing for the entire building. It was significant when you get a change order like that.鈥�

The project was built by general contractor Yorke & Curtis. The shingles were supplied by Malarkey Roofing Products, a Portland company, and installed by subcontractor Rodeo Roofing.

Malarkey spokesman Bobby Lambrix said the company had not been contacted regarding any post-installation issues.

鈥淢alarkey Roofing Products worked closely with the architect and roofing contractor to reach a desired and durable result,鈥� Lambrix stated in an email. 鈥淢ade with a proprietary blend of聽polymer modified asphalt, our shingles perform beyond industry standards of flexibility and impact resistance. These exceptional聽attributes allowed the shingles to be utilized in this unique design.鈥�

Jupiter NEXT’s visible issue with the shingles’ adhesion threatens to cloud discussion of the project, which has been praised for its strong form, distinctive mirrored overhang that reflects the sidewalk and hip interior spaces. The building is scheduled to host events such as an upcoming $150-a-ticket fundraiser for the Portland Winter Light Festival.

鈥淚t’s a beautiful building,鈥� Timmons said. 鈥淲e’re pretty proud of it.鈥�