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Rarely do architects get to incorporate significant artwork into their designs. But for the Nesika Illahee affordable housing development in Northeast Portland, Carleton Hart Architecture had such an opportunity.

鈥淚 think the main inspiration for the design came from the Chinook Tribe, which were local to this region,鈥� said Julia Mollner, a Carleton Hart job captain. 鈥淲e did a lot of research on the language and how it is dying 鈥� there are only a handful of people who can speak the language now 鈥� and that became a force in bringing in different tribal traditions into the design.鈥�

Nesika Illahee means 鈥淥ur Place鈥� in the Chinook language, which is fitting for a collaborative project involving Community Development Partners, the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA), the Native American Rehabilitation Association of the Northwest (NARA) and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. This is the first time these groups have partnered to construct affordable housing for tribal members in Portland. The 59 residential units are intended for families and individuals from the Siletz and other Native American tribes.

General contractor LMC Construction built the three-story, wood-framed building at 6370 N.E. 42nd Ave. An exterior plaza and large community room are intended to bring together residents and the surrounding neighborhood, while NARA will offer on-site substance abuse counseling services.

The artwork, meanwhile, is evident both inside and outside of the building. The highlights are a two-story mural on the west-facing fa莽ade by artist Toma Villa of the Yakima Nation, and a stone installation of basalt columns embedded with intricate, inlaid glass designs by artist Lillian Pitt.

This sculpture highlights the courtyard, which is accessed using large folding doors that sit beneath a prominent wood trellis intended to bridge the indoor-outdoor transition.

Inside, a third main piece is a large wall mural inside the main entrance crafted by artist Greg Robinson. This incorporates a sculpture mockup Robinson submitted in response to a request for proposals for the project. Though he wasn’t selected, he was asked to retain the wooden mockup for use indoors.

鈥淭he big pieces like the sculpture and murals and the wood ceilings, as well as the art piece at the elevator lobby 鈥� those were pieces that were integrated into the design from the beginning,鈥� Mollner said.

Meanwhile, dozens of paintings, historic photographs and other visual items can be found throughout the building. All of the artwork, including the largest pieces, were procured through a competitive RFP process run by the development partners through the Kimberly Kent Art Brokerage.

Also, the generous use of several different types of wood in glulam beams and columns, signage, ceiling panels and more was intended to imbue a natural feel to the building. A large Douglas fir, for example, was cut down as part of early site work. Wood from the tree, however, was crafted into tables and other small furniture pieces now in the new building.

鈥淚t helps with the whole notion of storytelling, which came from the client side, and how we can touch the land and contribute to the notion of family, which is integral to the site,鈥� said Carleton Hart’s Martin Segura, who recently was promoted to project manager.

Designers were able to join the Siletz Tribe and other development team members for those initial conversations.

鈥淭hat informed the rest of our decisions in the architecture down to things as small as unit signage,鈥� Mollner said. 鈥淎nd it helped us pick things up that maybe we had not accounted for.鈥�

During early consultations, she added, the importance of textures 鈥� particularly those created by traditional basket weaving 鈥� was expressed. So three different woven patterns were incorporated.

鈥淭hat’s a big one that we heard,鈥� Mollner said. 鈥淏ut it fits the culture. So some made it into unit signage 鈥� there are some in the elevator signage; some got cast into concrete and some got spray-painted on the lobby floor, which doesn’t look like spray paint at all.鈥�

There are obvious ways the building was designed with large art installations in mind. The main mural by Villa, for instance, is painted not on a flat surface but on an inset portion of the building that was designed to increase the amount of courtyard space in front of the building. This extra space, in turn, allowed room for Pitt’s work.

鈥淭he whole side of the building on the west is exposed and one of the ideas was to have it peel away and create a gathering space,鈥� Segura said. 鈥淏ut setting that edge and making it comfortable was always challenging with cars flying by.鈥�

This is the second project the firm has designed for NAYA. The first was the NAYA Generations campus in Southeast Portland. That project also incorporated a large deal of artwork.

鈥淓ach project is so unique to the partners and resident population,鈥� Carleton Hart Marketing Director Robin Moodie said. 鈥淎nd having done so many we are still able to say there’s nothing like this one.鈥�

Certainly, the artwork helps make Nesika Illahee truly unique.

鈥淭he art has been very central and significant to the population and the partners in creating a place that’s a home,鈥� Mollner added. 鈥淭here’s a lot of positive energy put into this project and making people feel comfortable and making them feel it’s their place to be.鈥�