Portland architect Chandra Robinson, known for designing a series of equity-focused projects, has struck out on her own.

Robinson recently left LEVER Architecture to start �����dz����ٴDz���á�ھ�����. The time had come for her to start her own firm, she said.

“It just felt like I could generate more work for myself, and I could take it in a different direction and operate differently,” she said.

Robinson served for seven years at LEVER — most of that time as a principal, a promotion she earned after helping the firm gain new work as projects focused on racial and social equity proliferated in Portland.

Four projects on which Robinson led design opened last year: two Multnomah County library branches in North Portland and Albina, in the center of Portland’s Black community; and two affordable housing projects — the 94-unit Albina One project for Albina Vision Trust, and the 187-unit T. Joyce Phillips (formerly known as Dekum Court) project for Home Forward in Concordia.

“There are so many different types of projects that I’ve worked on that I’m excited about,” she said. “My favorite things are ones that actually have an impact in the place where they’re built, no matter what sort of project they are.”

Robinson said she’s interested in designing libraries, affordable housing buildings, cultural institutions and community centers.

Robinson has also worked extensively with mass timber on several projects, including the First Tech Credit Union headquarters in Hillsboro and the Meyer Memorial Trust headquarters in North Portland. Mass timber is also a focal design element in the 26,000-square-foot Williams and Russell business hub, which she’s designing in partnership with LEVER and which will offer affordable office space and retail space on the long-vacant Hill Block property.

Robinson is also designing, with LEVER, the new Jefferson High School.

Former colleagues said Robinson has pushed forward local sourcing, working with tribal and community groups, and reaching out to disadvantaged, minority-, woman-, emerging small business and service-disabled veteran owned (DMWESB) companies.

“She’s an absolutely amazing person,” said Jonathan Heppner, a LEVER principal who first worked with Robinson at the firm now known as Works Architecture and then later at LEVER. “She is extremely committed to the local community. Her perspective brings a new lens to the way architecture can be practiced in Portland.”

Michelle Vo, a Hennebery Eddy Architects principal, said Robinson excelled at considering how buildings would be used.

“In my experience with Chandra, I observed her to be very interested in understanding the needs expressed by stakeholders in her projects,” Vo stated in an email. “She demonstrated a commitment to tailoring design responses that addressed specific user requirements, whether it was through architecture or more of an artistic installation in the space.”

Robinson came somewhat late to architecture, starting at the Boston Architectural College at age 31. She later returned to the Portland area, where she had grown up in Rockwood.

Robinson’s professional experience in Portland has been peripatetic: She first joined Works Progress Architecture in 2010 before stints at Hennebery Eddy Architects and Hacker. The latter firm loaned Robinson to LEVER, with which she worked on the Meyer Memorial Trust headquarters.

It’s not unusual for architecture firms to let their employees work for other designers, Robinson said.

“We do that in Portland,” she said. “If projects are delayed or people need staff, it’s a good way to staff up your projects without having to vet and interview people, or if you are slow, not having to lose your employees.”

Robinson became invested in the Meyer Memorial Trust project and decided to stay at LEVER, where she gained experience working with mass timber and other advanced building materials.

Now, she’s starting afresh with Estudio �����dz����ٴDz���á�ھ�����, doing business as �����dz����ٴDz���á�ھ�����. The name reflects the English word “chromatography” and the Spanish translation, “cromatografía.” She retained the “h” in part because of her first name.

“I just really like the idea of having something that’s mixed up, and then being able to identify separate elements,” she said.

At �����dz����ٴDz���á�ھ�����, Robinson wants to work with interesting partners. She’s designing a farm-and-garden project in Gresham for the Feed’em Freedom Foundation with Anyeley Hallova’s development firm, �����é, that is focused on food sovereignty in the Black community. Robinson is working on the design with James Gantz, a former ZGF Architects principal who recently returned to Portland after a stint in Washington, D.C. For the new Jefferson High School, with design led by LEVER and Bora Architecture & Interiors, she is working on placemaking alongside Colloqate Design.

Robinson is pursuing another, still-confidential project with �����é, which is also the developer of the Williams and Russell business hub.

Robinson said she’s not looking for a business partner to join �����dz����ٴDz���á�ھ�����.

“I want it to be small because I want to collaborate with other small firms, right?” she said. “I want to work with other solo practitioners. I want to hire people on contracts where maybe the mix is different, the people who are working on different projects is different, and we’re not tied into a structure.”

Robinson identifies as a Black Latina. She quickly gained work as clients and developers sought to diversify their project teams in Portland. But one thing she does not want to do is be anybody’s token minority representation.

“What I’m not going to do is partner with a company that doesn’t have any diversity in their own firm — doesn’t have any Black leadership or women in leadership, and they’re trying to partner with someone who represents that so they can get a job,” she said. “I’m not doing that.”

Robinson does substantial volunteer work in the community for groups such as Architects Without Borders and Oregon Black Pioneers. She currently serves as chairwoman of the Portland Design Commission, which evaluates major building proposals.

She recently purchased a house in Netarts. She commutes into Portland for meetings and events when necessary, often using space at LEVER and staying with her mother in St. Johns.

Robinson hopes to do interesting work at �����dz����ٴDz���á�ھ�����, on her own terms.

“People are many things,” she said. “You’re not just one thing. But you also have to focus to get somewhere.”

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A controversial proposal to modify zoning codes to address Portland’s housing crisis has triggered a surge of public opinion. More than 200 testimonies were received at the city’s Planning Commission hearing on Tuesday, with more than 20 individuals providing in-person and virtual testimonies.

The proposed housing production strategy, a key component of the Housing Regulatory Relief Project, includes a temporary five-year suspension of various zoning codes and development standards identified in a Bureau of Development Services (BDS) survey as the top obstacles to housing production. These changes encompass suspending requirements for ground-floor active use, eliminating eco-roof and bird-safe glazing standards, and reducing bike parking requirements.

The housing production strategy aims to address the urgent need for housing in a city requiring approximately 120,560 new housing units over the next two decades. This need is driven by Portland’s growth, vacancy rates, historical underproduction of housing units, and the demand for homes for the homeless.

Sandra Wood, the principal planner at the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, said that for housing to be constructed in the present environment, development costs must decrease or rents must increase, likely requiring a combination of both. While the city cannot control the high interest rates causing financing challenges nationwide, the housing relief strategy aims to reduce costs by streamlining permitting approval timelines and simplifying code requirements.

“We understand that this is a piece of the puzzle,” Wood said. “Not the full puzzle, but it is a piece nonetheless.”

Public comments were predominantly in favor of easing housing production, with support from community members and building industry professionals. However, a substantial portion of the public opposed the proposed changes related to bike parking, eco-roofs, bird-safe glazing, ground-floor active use, height requirements and the suspension of elements in the design review and neighborhood contact process.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Portland Design Commissioner Chandra Robinson, speaking on behalf of the commission, expressed concern about the short timeframe for reviewing and studying the proposed changes, describing it as “short-sighted” and “irresponsible.” These changes are set to be presented to the Portland City Council during the Dec. 20 meeting. Robinson said that although the changes are temporary, their effects will be long-lasting, as buildings are designed to last for 50 years or more. She argued that removing ground-floor active use requirements would reduce the presence of eyes on the street, potentially leading to increased crime and vandalism. Robinson urged the Planning Commission to delay approval of the proposed changes to allow more time for public comments, saying that “It’s only going to benefit the city, and not have it continue down a downward spiral.”

In a letter to the Planning Commission, signed by all commissioners except Commissioner Sam Rodriguez, alternative proposals were put forward.

Chair of the Portland Landmark Commission, Andrew Smith, said that any near-term changes to regulations should focus on removing barriers and streamlining processes rather than introducing physical changes that “we will live with and likely regret for the next 50 or more years.”

Several members of the building industry expressed support for the housing relief proposal. Sarah Zahn, director of development for Security Properties, said that the challenges posed by high interest rates is making financing for projects scarce and challenging. While each proposed code change may constitute a small portion of project costs individually, their cumulative impact is significant.

Doug Burges, director of development at Greystar, said that these challenges are felt with a recently approved 381-unit tower project in the Pearl District. That, he said, “can’t be financed in today’s environment,” adding that a slight budget relief could go a long way in assisting the project, which also includes 31 units of inclusionary housing.

The proposed amendments to reduce bike parking from 1.5 spaces per unit to 1 for developments in and near downtown, and from 1.1 spaces per unit to 0.7 for those farther out, faced significant opposition from the public. However, members of the building industry noted that they consistently observe that more than half of bike parking rooms remain unused. Ernesto Fonseca, CEO of Hacienda CDC, shared that in a recent project, approximately eight additional studio units could have been constructed if bike parking requirements were reduced. Gus Baum, director of development at Security Properties, said that roughly 770 bike stalls were required for a development along Sandy Boulevard, equivalent to approximately 15,000 square feet of space.

“Far in excess of what will be used for any current or future resident,” Baum added.

In a cost study of the proposed changes, it was estimated that a bike room for a typical 64-unit multifamily development (approximately 1,950 square feet) would cost $509,000, equivalent to about 2.6 percent of the construction costs, or $7,953 per unit.

Following the extensive public comments, commissioners requested the addition of an extra day of hearings to allow for further deliberation on proposed amendments to the current proposal. Chair Commissioner Mary O’Meara indicated her lack of support for eliminating the eco-roof and bird-safe glazing requirements, which received the most public opposition. She said she does not see how removing these requirements would contribute to easing housing production. Additionally, an amendment could be considered to restrict the temporary removal of ground-floor active use requirements to affordable housing developments, where it has been a development obstacle.

The next Planning Commission hearing has been scheduled for 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 7.

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