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A proposal for Oregon Health & Science University‘s 14-story expansion appears to be close to earning the Portland Design Commission‘s approval, but first a number of concerns about outdoor spaces must be addressed.

Commissioners discussed the project for nearly three hours on Thursday. With a Bureau of Development Services staff report recommending denial pending improvements to address several unmet guidelines, commissioners opted to continue the hearing until Dec. 12. A vote will likely take place then.

The design team of NBBJ‘s Seattle office and Portland landscape architect Mayer/Reed unveiled new renderings of the massive hospital expansion atop Marquam Hill. The design consists of two towering glass-and-steel wings with a white spandrel glass frame over a podium clad with a warmer, reddish panel. The building on Southwest Campus Drive would have 526,297 square feet of interior space, with three levels of parking and three sky-bridges connecting to adjacent buildings.

The building would look over a garden cut through by an Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible path. The OHSU expansion project would be on the site of the former School of Dentistry building, which was demolished. Two design advice hearings took place previously.

Design commissioners’ comments focused on the garden and a pavilion that overlooks it.

鈥淭he problem with that overlook is it’s not connected to the inside,鈥� Commissioner Zari Santner said. 鈥淚t’s not connected to the outside.鈥�

Commission Chairwoman Julie Livingston, picking up on written comments submitted by Commissioner Jessica Molinar, who was absent, said the garden lacks a gathering place.

鈥淚t’s all path, no place,鈥� she said.

Carol Mayer-Reed, principal of Mayer/Reed, defended the design by saying the site is limited by a 10-foot grade change, neighboring buildings including the Elks Children’s Eye Clinic and substantial underground infrastructure that rules out tree plantings along the sidewalk.

鈥淲e want to do all of the same things you do; we just have a very constrained site,鈥� she told commissioners.

NBBJ partner Jose Sama said the path has a destination: the building’s front door.

Design commissioners told Mayer-Reed and project landscape architect Tim Strand to try again.

鈥淭he space has got to be activated, and I’m sure you can get there,鈥� Livingston said.

In some ways, the designers are wrestling with a decision made 100 years ago. OHSU moved to Marquam Hill in 1919 to land donated by a railroad that couldn’t make the site work for rail. Designers have since puzzled over how to move people from points below to the hill.

That question has become more acute as OHSU has become one of the state’s largest employers. Now, Metro and TriMet plan to build the Southwest Corridor light-rail project below the site. A connector from Barbur Boulevard is envisioned that would complement the aerial tram that was completed in the South Waterfront in 2006.

Overall, design commissioners praised the expansion building, although they challenged details such as the placement of white fins on the exterior. Commissioners indicated OHSU will have an approvable project if designers can fix access issues with the overlook and garden.

鈥淚n general, the building is a very handsome building,鈥� Santner said. 鈥淚t’s cohesive. We’re just asking you to do the impossible so we can really truly say you’re meeting design guidelines, because we have a responsibility to do so.鈥�