91视频

By Josh Kulla
Special to the 91视频

The largest ongoing building project in Portland’s South Waterfront District keeps chugging along, despite the ongoing pandemic and over 100 days of protests, some of them at the nearby Immigration and Customs Enforcement building.

The eight-story apartment project is located at 3838 S.W. Macadam Ave., Portland, just two blocks from the ICE building, where protesters have clashed regularly with federal agents. The project has not experienced any significant damage as a result of the protests, and building crews under general contractor Andersen Construction continue going about their work relatively unimpeded.

“At this point, we’ve got all of the main concrete work finished,鈥� said Senior Project Manager Mike Carrigg. 鈥淵ou can see the first level, the second and third level, where we’re doing our first wood framing. They’re just getting going on the first level, and our third level up there is our last transition deck from concrete into wood framing, so, we’re making that move, getting ready to roll joists and start building up.鈥�

Architectural firm Hensley Lamkin Rachel Inc. of Dallas, Texas, designed the 232-unit project, which replaces a single-story, 37,000-square-foot warehouse that formerly served La Grand Industrial Supply Co. on the 1.07-acre site.

The project also includes construction of a public plaza on the Southwest Lane Avenue right-of-way adjacent to the site’s north side.

Block 40 is part of a two-block development from development firm Alamo Manhattan that received Portland Design Commission approval in 2018. A seven-story, 190-unit mixed-use building is still planned for construction on the adjacent property to the north at 3714 S.W. Macadam Ave.

Because of the steep grade of the property, the building will present eight stories fronting Moody Avenue on the east side and seven stories fronting Macadam Avenue on the west side. A single level of below-grade parking will be provided.

Andersen has used a traditional approach to construction.

鈥淥rdinarily we do panelized wood framing projects,鈥澛燙arrigg said. 鈥淏ut this one is atypical; we’re actually stick building this one. We’re kind of going old school, traditional framing.鈥�

In part, this is because carpenters from Portland-based Time Frame Inc. are using a relatively new type of fire-retardant treated lumber to construct the building’s exterior walls.

鈥淚t’s different than what we’ve normally done,鈥� Carrigg said. 鈥淲ith other projects, at least the last five or so that I’ve done, they’ve been conventional wood framing and our exterior wall assemblies keeps its two-hour (fire) rating through brick, a couple of layers of drywall and DensGlass. Here, we have an additional measure of fire-retardant treated lumber, and it’s used on the exterior walls.鈥�

He added that this type of treatment is becoming quite popular. And, while more costly than untreated lumber, the savings realized from eliminating other exterior fireproofing materials results in a net win for a project utilizing the material.

鈥淚t has a function of potentially replacing a layer of DensGlass,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o I think a lot of people are realizing this and looking to that as an option. If you can delete an entire layer that you don’t have to install, I would say that’s a savings overall to the project.鈥�

Other current milestones include the recent completion of foundation work, with masons from Los Angeles-based Superior Gunite finishing the last scheduled shotcrete work on ground floor walls. On the horizon, Carrigg said, work on the main building power vaults is under way along with installation of gas and other utilities.

Other active subcontractors include Delta Drywall, of Tualatin, which is performing metal stud framing; Portland’s Exteriors Design will be installing weather resistant barrier, windows and cement cladding; and Klinger Masonry will be installing brick masonry on the exterior. Current MEP team members include Tapani Plumbing, Porter Electric and Vanport Mechanical.

鈥淕oing forward,鈥� Carrigg said, 鈥渨hen the wood framing gets about two more floors up, they’ll start installing windows, a (weather resistant barrier) and waterproofing the building in and getting ready for the winter.鈥�