Construction with Columbia River Gorge winds in mind

Josh Kulla//July 2, 2019//

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Carpenters with Wood Mechanix fly a truss into place at Archibald Grove, a 37-unit multifamily project under construction in Gresham. (Josh Kulla/91视频)

In east Multnomah County, near the edge of the Columbia River Gorge, winds can sometimes become especially strong. The city of Gresham accounts for that in its development code.

The team building Archibald Grove Apartments, a 37-unit complex at Southeast Stark Street and 202nd Avenue, now knows that.

鈥淭here’s a 135 miles per hour wind load zone out here,鈥� LMC Construction Superintendent Cameron Grieb said. 鈥淥ne block down it’s 120, so we had to completely re-engineer everything at a huge cost to the owners.鈥�

LMC Construction is serving as general contractor for the project; it’s being led by Gibbins Kaplan Development, a relatively new firm founded by a pair of former executives from Williams/Dame & Associates. MWA Architects designed the complex.

Footings measuring 4 feet wide and 18 inches thick 鈥� far larger than the usual 18-inch-wide and 12-inch-thick footings used for three-story buildings of this type 鈥� were used for Archibald Grove.

鈥淭here’s a lot more hardware, a lot more hold-downs, a lot more straps,鈥� Grieb added. 鈥淓ven inside the floor system, I’ve never had to put hurricane clips and blocks on the floor joists before.鈥�

Wood Mechanix carpenter and crew foreman Pedro Guillen-Pacheco directs a crane operator flying a load of trusses at the Archibald Grove Apartments in Gresham. (Josh Kulla/91视频)

Breezeways will connect the seven buildings at Archibald Grove and host apartment entrances, which will be shielded from surrounding street frontages. Wood framing is being used over slab-on-grade concrete foundations. Glass-fiber-reinforced concrete wall panels and metal panels are planned for the exterior.

On Monday, Precision Truss & Lumber began delivering roof trusses to Archibald Grove as a contingent of carpenters from Wood Mechanix continued to frame and sheath the buildings.

鈥淩ight now it’s just the framers,鈥� Grieb said. 鈥淭he plumbers want to work from the top and work down, and they should be in here soon.鈥�

Grieb noted that Gibbins Kaplan Development did not necessarily choose the cheapest design or look to excessively value-engineer the project. He cited the roof as an example.

鈥淚t has huge gable ends,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f they went to a hipped roof type they would have saved themselves a lot of money. It’s a lot more lumber, a lot more braces, a lot more hardware. It’s going to give it a good look, but they could have saved a lot of money.鈥�

Slightly north of the Archibald Grove project site, Gibbins Kaplan Development is working on a similar project 鈥� the 25-unit Douglas Grove Apartments. Both projects are expected to be completed by February 2020.