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When Salazar Architect was hired to design the building shell and interior common areas for Vibrant!, an affordable housing high rise in the Pearl District, Alex Salazar knew the collaboration with LRS Architects and Innovative Housing, Inc. meant big things lie ahead for his firm.

鈥淭hat was well received and that was a big achievement for us,鈥� Salazar said, adding it was his company鈥檚 first high-rise and first partnership with IHI. 鈥淚t was also a very cost-driven project. The cost pressures were pretty large, but we still managed to achieve a very refined design.鈥�

Sarah Stevenson, IHI鈥檚 executive director, said her organization appreciated Salazar鈥檚 vision for Vibrant! and his commitment to a bold design statement that made the building stand out while still fitting within the neighborhood鈥檚 context.听

鈥淭he design faced many challenges along the way, but IHI and Alex pushed through together and we are very proud of the end result,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e like the bright pop of color and the unique rotated bays that call attention to the building and help it stand up to the massive freeway structure nearby.听Most of all, we love that our residents are proud of their new home and feel excited by the space and the opportunities it provides.鈥澨�
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Salazar began working in architecture, community and urban design, and interiors in the Bay Area and relocated his solo practice to Portland in 2004.

He said his best decision as a business owner has been to hire talented people with a similar passion for community-based design.

He added that he鈥檚 excited that his company is now working with Living Cully to redevelop the Sugar Shack, a former strip club, into a transit-oriented development with a public plaza, mural art, solar installation and electric vehicle service, among other community-driven amenities.

鈥淭he community benefits in this project are very immense and pretty unusual, so we鈥檙e really happy and excited for this to go forward and to see its completion,鈥� Salazar said. 鈥淔rom the design side, we鈥檝e been very conscious of an approach that pushes Latin-American architecture. That has been in our minds as we think about design and color.鈥�