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A multifamily development of three buildings is on the rise on Marquam Hill in Southwest Portland.

The Marquam Hill Apartments will have a total of 72 units and amenities in 99,463 square feet.

Gabe Headrick of Steelhead Architecture is the project architect. MCH Construction Co., the general contractor, is building the development for Scotia Western States Housing.

Steelhead Architecture is a small, two-person design firm that focuses on residential and commercial buildings, but with a niche in breweries, pubs and cideries. For this project, the buildings were spread out to reduce mass and create interconnected spaces for activities between them.

鈥淏reaking all of the apartments into three buildings helped break up what would’ve been a giant structure,鈥� Headrick said.

The buildings are being constructed at 3158, 3178 and 3192 S.W. 12th Ave. Building one will have 55,655 square feet, building two 35,409 square feet and building three 8,399 square feet. Construction started in March 2020. Crews didn’t experience any slowdowns due to the pandemic; they’re expected to finish this spring.

The white brick skin and white wood paneling of the buildings give a modern contemporary feel amid the wooded landscape, Headrick said. The site sits above the OHSU Hospital and peers out onto a forested hillside.

The two larger buildings are designed as 鈥渋ntersecting geometries with floating roofs above which unify the forms,鈥� Headrick said.

Building one will offer 40 units in four levels of wood framing over one concrete level. The ground floor will include a lobby. There will be structured parking with 40 spaces.

Construction of the concrete podium and wood framing is done. The first floor took a month to complete, and then 鈥渂am, bam, bam鈥� 鈥� the wood framing went up, Headrick said. Currently, crews are installing windows as well as plumbing and electrical components.

Building two will be also be five stories, but with 24 units. The concrete podium is complete and ready for wood framing.

The wood framing is built off-site at a lumber yard and then delivered in large trucks, MCH Construction superintendent Rick Haley said. A crane is used to lift the individual panels onto the concrete podium. Each floor takes about a week to complete, he said.

鈥淭he contractor has done an excellent job handling all of the subcontractors with COVID-19 and the permitting delays,鈥� Headrick said.

Building three will be a three-story, wood-framed structure. It will include eight units, a common space, a workout room, a kitchen and a living room to accommodate sizable gatherings.

鈥淭he smaller third building has its own character as a cantilevered cube,鈥� Headrick said. 鈥淚t relates to its larger companions in the cladding materials but as it contains all of the common space uses building three acts as a smaller-scale focal point to the site.鈥�