Project name: The Hazel Ying Lee Apartments

Location: Portland

Completion: August 2024

Size: 125,890 square feet

Cost: $55,271,925

Owner/Developer: Home Forward

Architect: Holst Architecture

Engineers: ABHT Structural Engineers, KPFF, Samata Consulting Engineers

General Contractor: Colas Construction

Submitting Company: Colas Construction

Other Key Participants: Portland Housing Bureau

Subcontractors: Able Fence, Acousti-Level, Affordable Electric, All About Flagging, All Seasons Insulation, Architectural Metalcrafters, AT Publix, Authority Dock & Door, Building Material Specialties, Cascade Radon, Cascade Tower & Rigging, Compaction and Recycling, Cosco Fire Protection, CSL Structures, DDN Interior Supply, DE-EL Enterprises, DeWitt Construction, Eagle Striping Services, Eastside Paving, Elemental Energy, Exteriors Design, Grant Painting, Great Floors, Huntco Supply, Hunter-Davisson, Interior Technology, K&D Services of Oregon, Keywest Retaining Systems, Klinger Masonry, Lanz Cabinet Shop, M&M Construction Services, McCoy Millwork, McDonald & Wetle, MK Fall Protection, Mt. Hood Steel & Wood, Northwest Masonry, Northwest Scaffold Service, Oregon State Bridge, Outdoor Play & Amenities, Pacific Landscape Services, Paulson’s Floor Covering, River City Glass & Window, Ross Recreation Equipment, Santiago Concrete, Sawtooth Caulking, Schindler Elevator, Standard TV & Appliance, Superior Interiors, Tapani Plumbing, Timber Technologies, Ultra Star, VPI Quality Windows, WH Cress

The Hazel Ying Lee Apartments, a 206-unit affordable housing development in Southeast Portland’s Creston-Kenilworth neighborhood, has transformed a largely vacant lot into a community-centered living space that sets new standards for affordable housing design.

Designed by Holst Architecture and built by Colas Construction, the project features cost-effective wood-frame construction over a taller ground-floor podium that accommodates loft-style units and shared amenities. Named after the first Chinese American woman to fly for the U.S. military, the four-story complex features an innovative X-shaped layout that maximizes density while creating protected courtyards and pedestrian pathways. The distinctive design, which earned the Portland Design Commission’s Design Excellence Award in 2021, reflects the neighborhood’s character with multicolored brick and white fiber-cement panels. The overall aesthetic is eye-catching, with curved facades and colorful brick patterning giving it an almost sculpture-like quality.

The development serves households earning 30 percent to 60 percent of Area Median Income, including 30 units dedicated to families emerging from homelessness. Unlike typical affordable housing, it offers larger family-focused units and amenities including a playroom, playground, basketball court and computer lounge.

Construction posed significant engineering challenges, requiring more than 130 deep foundation piles driven 100 feet into Portland’s unstable soil. Colas Construction, a Black-owned firm, erected its first tower crane for this project, noting it is the first ever by a Black or brown contractor west of the Mississippi.

The apartments feature air conditioning and free Wi-Fi in common areas, with a large laundry room containing over 24 washers and dryers. With a Walk Score of 89, residents enjoy excellent access to public transit.

Sustainability was prioritized throughout development. The building achieved Earth Advantage Platinum certification and includes rooftop solar panels and all-electric systems supported by the Portland Clean Energy Fund.

In partnership with the Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization, the complex provides culturally specific services supporting immigrant, refugee and BIPOC families.

To honor the building’s namesake, Home Forward gave child residents two books: “The Fearless Flights of Hazel Ying Lee” by Julie Leung, connecting residents to Lee’s legacy as a Cleveland High School graduate who made history during World War II, and “A Kids Book About Construction” by Andrew Colas, reinforcing a legacy of inspiration and opportunity.

The project team achieved 45 percent workforce diversity on the project; the goal was 20 percent. Apprentices had a key role on the development, responsible for 18.5 percent of project work hours.

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Project name: Nueva Esperanza

Location: Hillsboro

Completion: January 2024

Size: 20,157 square feet

Owner: Bienestar

Architect: Scott Edwards Architecture

Interior Designer: Scott Edwards Architecture

Engineers: Standridge Design, Stonewood Structural Engineers, Interface Engineering

General Contractor: LMC Construction

Submitting Company: Scott Edwards Architecture

Other Associates/Key Consultants: PLACE

Subcontractors: ACME Scenic and Display, Benelli Construction, Castle Masonry & Restoration, Creators, DE-EL Commercial, Eagle Striping Services, Environmental Works, Great Northwest Gutters, Halsey Design, Interior Tech, JB Insulation, Jet Industries, Joshua Legacy Painting, KO Construction, Kodiak Pacific Construction, Lanz Cabinets, Lauzon Contracting, McDermott Fence, Modular Paving Systems, MSC Contracting, Nail It! Roofing, Northwest Door & Supply, Northwest Waterproofing, Pacific Landscape Services, Pacific Northwest Glass & Mirror, Outdoor Play & Amenities, Parca Floors, Precision Countertops, Santiago Concrete, Solid Form, Standard TV & Appliance, TerraCalc, Ultra Quiet Floors, VPI

Nueva Esperanza, meaning “new hope” in Spanish, brings 150 affordable apartment homes to Hillsboro while embracing the cultural diversity of its residents through thoughtful design and community engagement.

The 6-acre development breaks down its scale into three distinct neighborhoods, called colonias, each featuring outdoor plazas with unique amenities like barbecues, play structures and piñata poles. These colonias are connected by paths including the Paseo, Arroyo Walk and Alameda, creating a walkable community that invites interaction.

The design team learned through collaboration with clients and community engagement that the development would primarily serve families, predominantly from Latinx and Somali cultures.

Cultural sensitivity extends to apartment interiors, where three- and four-bedroom units feature kitchen and living room spaces divided by partitions or doors – a specific request from community members. Two-bedroom apartments include separate vanity areas outside bathrooms.

The community building serves as a gathering hub with a large community room featuring a connected kitchen, multi-colored acoustic ceiling and warm wood accents. A retractable partition allows the space to host multiple events simultaneously.

Nueva Esperanza was designed applying principles of universal, trauma-informed and inclusive design. Five of the six architecture team members were women, two of whom were Latinx, and subconsultants included minority-owned and women-owned firms.

The development achieved Earth Advantage Platinum certification, exceeding initial sustainability goals. Features include preserved existing trees, stormwater filtration systems and a 26-kilowatt photovoltaic array.

Budget constraints were addressed through creative use of economical materials, including traditional board-and-batten siding applied in non-traditional patterns and cedar accents referencing materials common in residential neighborhoods.

Scott Edwards Architecture noted in the project submission form that it is important to the team to design for diverse communities, and it is equally important to partner with diverse businesses to deliver these projects for the community and clients. Nueva Esperanza’s design DMWESB contracting goal was 20 percent and the design team exceeded that goal, reaching 37 percent.

The minority contracting goal for the project was 35 percent MWESB participation, and the general contractor – LMC Construction – achieved 38.71 percent. LMC actively reached out to minority, women-owned, and emerging small businesses to inform them about the project and collaborated with organizations supporting MWESB firms, such as LatinoBuilt and NAMC-Oregon, to identify and engage potential contractors. LMC also provided training and resources to MWESB firms to help them meet project requirements and enhance their capabilities.

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Project name: Las Flores

Location: Oregon City

Completion: May 2024

Size: 175,887 square feet

Cost: $46,313,735

Owner/Developer: Community Development Partners in collaboration with Hacienda CDC

Architect: Salazar Architects

Interior Designer: Salazar Architects

Engineers: Valar Engineering, Jet Industries, Tradesmen Electric

General Contractor: LMC Construction

Submitting Company: LMC Construction

Other Key Associates: Center for Public Interest Design, Clackamas County Housing Authority, Oregon Housing and Community Services, Oregon Metro, PLACE

Subcontractors: ACME Scenic and Display, All Trades, Ambrose Glass, Bridgeport Interiors, Cash’s Drapery, Creators, DE-EL Commercial, DeaMor Associates, Frontier Metal Fabrication, Frontier Roofing, GE Appliances, Great Northwest Gutters, Halsey Design, J&S Masonry, JB Insulation, Jet Industries, KO Construction, Kodiak Pacific, Lanz Cabinets, LaRusso Concrete, Lauzon Contracting, LJP Construction, Medallion Industries, Merit Contractor of Oregon, Northwest Masonry, Outdoor Play and Amenities, Pacific Landscape Services, Patriot Fire Protection, RECORP, Tapani Plumbing, Time Frame, Topline Counters, Tradesmen Electric, Ultra Quiet Floors, Universal Flooring & Interiors, US Mailboxes, VPI, Zavala

When residents walk through Las Flores, they don’t just see an affordable housing development. They experience a thoughtfully designed community centered around connection and well-being.

The seven three-story apartment buildings form a circle around a central park, creating a cohesive environment where families can thrive. This intentional layout preserves clusters of mature trees, adding to the park-like setting that includes walking paths, children’s play areas and a community garden.

Las Flores, a collaboration between Community Development Partners and Hacienda CDC, offers 171 affordable housing units for individuals and families earning 30 percent to 60 percent of the area’s median income.

From the earliest conceptual plans, Las Flores focused on the social aspects of housing. The development features numerous gathering spaces, from wider breezeways with small tables to a barbecue area with picnic tables.

What sets Las Flores apart is its Asset-Based Community Development approach, empowering residents to actively shape their living environment rather than implementing traditional top-down housing models.

The project addresses specific community needs by setting aside units for agricultural workers, supported by Agriculture Workforce Housing Tax Credits. Nine units are dedicated to individuals and families transitioning out of homelessness, with support services provided by Northwest Housing Alternatives and Hacienda’s Youth and Family Services division.

At the heart of the development stands La Casa Rosa, the community building that hosts workshops and classes. Bilingual and bicultural staff offer services including translation, financial education and workforce development.

Las Flores emphasizes sustainability with Earth Advantage Platinum certification. The development is all-electric, eliminating fossil fuels in building operations, and includes EV charging stations. Solar panels are already installed on the community building, with apartment buildings wired for future installation.

Beyond physical structures, the project integrates public art throughout the property, fostering pride and belonging among residents.

The minority contracting goal for Las Flores was 20 percent, but LMC Construction achieved an impressive 35.84 percent. This included 15.30 percent participation from Minority Business Enterprises, 18.86 percent from Women Business Enterprises, and 1.69 percent from Emerging Small Businesses. In addition, 92 percent of the subcontractors were based in Oregon, with one-third of that total based in Clackamas County where Las Flores is located. LMC collaborated with LatinoBuilt, the National Association of Minority Contractors-Oregon and Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs, as well as other organizations, to identify and engage potential contractors.

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Project name: Flock13

Location: Eugene

Completion: August 2024

Size: 95,000 square feet

Cost: $24 million

Owner/Developer: deChase Miksis Development

Architect: Rowell Brokaw Architects

Interior Designer: Rowell Brokaw Architects

Engineers: KPFF, Säzän Group

General Contractor: John Hyland Construction

Submitting Company: Rowell Brokaw Architects

Other Associates/Key Consultants: Comfort Flow Heating, Twin Rivers Plumbing, Jensen Hughes, Brian Davies, Taylour White

Subcontractors: Acousti-Level Floor Systems, Advanced Cabinets, Building Material Specialties, Comfort Flow Heating, Commercial Metal Products, Empire Paint & Remodel, ES&A Sign & Awning, Geopier Northwest, Haines Brothers Masonry, Hartness Drywall, Home Insulation, I-5 Glass, Interior Technology, Kaminski Construction, Kelly’s Appliances, Largo Concrete, Omlid & Swinney,  Otis Elevator, Overhead Door Co. of Eugene-Springfield, Reynolds Electrical and Plumbing, Rexius, Sellwood Construction, Stedman Sheet Metal, Thomas Kay Flooring & Interiors, Umpqua Roofing

A new seven-story mixed-use building has strengthened the commercial corridor at the University of Oregon‘s west entrance, combining retail space with student housing in a project that emphasizes sustainability and campus community.

Flock13, a 95,000-square-foot, H-shaped structure, houses 107 student apartments ranging from studios to three-bedroom units, while its ground floor features three eateries open to university students and the broader community.

The building earned an Earth Advantage Multifamily Gold Level Certification through energy efficiency measures, healthier indoor air quality standards, responsible material usage and water conservation. Testing showed the building performing approximately 20.3 percent better than permitted code requirements.

The building’s construction presented challenges due to its location on a busy commercial street beside the university’s main entrance. John Hyland Construction worked closely with the city, university and subcontractors to minimize disruption to neighboring businesses and the thousands of students passing the site daily.

The structure combines two floors of Type 1 concrete construction with five floors of Type IIIA wood frame construction. Its design includes light courts that provide direct access to natural light and air on upper floors while bringing daylight into the basement level.

Student amenities include a second-floor 1,600-square-foot shared indoor/outdoor common space with built-in booths, an open lounge with soft seating, and a counter facing a covered terrace that overlooks 13th Avenue. The terrace features an outdoor grill and fireplace, while a garage door connects indoor and outdoor spaces.

The project embraces “Duck life” with yellow accents on both exterior metal façade and interior spaces, plus duck silhouettes in signage, paying homage to the university mascot.

Flock13 was designed and constructed alongside an exterior refresh of The Duck Store, the university’s flagship bookstore, creating what designers call “a cohesive, active street edge” that reinforces pedestrian vitality along 13th Avenue, a commercial street once known as “The Beach” for its popularity as a student hangout. The façade redesign includes new paint and glulam entry portals below an uplit, perforated metal panel screen that wraps the concrete frame and CMU infill building.

“The combined Flock13 and Duck Store exterior project re-establishes 13^th Avenue as the iconic campus-college edge at the University of Oregon,” said John Rowell, senior principal with Rowell Brokaw Architects, in the project nomination form. “With high-quality student housing, street-oriented amenities, new restaurants opening to south-facing seating, and the lively Duck Store refresh, this is where ducks land in Eugene.”

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O’Neill/Walsh Community Builders, a partnership serving as the general contractor for Northwest Housing Alternatives‘ headquarters project, has its hands full.

“We’ve got three different construction types across five different buildings, which makes it a lot of fun and really easy to coordinate,” superintendent Drew Anderson said with a laugh. “They do that to make it easier on us.”

Northwest Housing Alternatives, a nonprofit, builds and manages affordable housing and homeless services throughout Oregon. Its in downtown Milwaukie, fronting Lake Road, includes one office building, three residential buildings and an emergency shelter.

Funding is coming from a variety of sources, including Clackamas County, $8.4 million worth of federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits, private contributions and a $2.78 million NOAH (Network for Oregon Affordable Housing) mortgage.

“A note on the housing buildings is that they are all (being built to) Earth Advantage” (silver standards), Anderson said. “So not only do we have a mix of funding on this project, but we have a mix of construction types.”

Northwest Housing Alternatives’ standard practice is to adhere to Earth Advantage standards for its new projects. This one was designed by . The three residential buildings will provide 28 total units – almost entirely two- and three-bedroom apartments.

The development and management office is actually being built to achieve net zero certification. To do this, a 38-kilowatt solar array will be installed on the roof of the split-level building, with insulation “like you wouldn’t believe,” Anderson said. Even the foundation will be insulated.

“All the slabs that we’ve poured here have two layers of two-inch, staggered, rigid foam insulation underneath the concrete,” he said. “The construction techniques are very similar to passive house because we’re building a highly efficient building.”

To achieve certification, the building will undergo a 12-month audit to demonstrate that it ultimately produces more energy than it consumes.

Then a two-story, eight-unit emergency family shelter will be built with more traditional techniques to provide the same services as the longstanding Annie Ross House, which was one of 11 structures on the 1.75-acre site that were demolished to make way for the new campus. The new shelter will take on the Annie Ross name and provide 60 percent more space than the old facility.

Currently, construction of each building is in a different phase.

Last week, in Building A of the residential trio, crews stocked and installed drywall. In Building C, MEP rough-in took place while roofers completed sheeting. In Building B, crews of carpenters from subcontractor Wood Mechanix busily installed roof trusses and the first pieces of sheeting.

The three residential structures were the first to have their foundations poured. The new office building was next in line and currently is gaining exterior wood-framed walls.

The emergency shelter is the final piece of the puzzle, in a center space surrounded by the other four buildings. Crews have finished pouring the concrete matte-slab foundation and installing utilities.

“It’s all old-school, with minimal production,” Anderson said. “It’s lay it out, shoot them all together, stand the walls and keep going. I’d really prefer to have a crane, but they told me it wasn’t in the budget.”

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Portland officials say a novel law pushing deconstruction of old houses is proving successful.

The city will soon certify a new crop of deconstruction contractors under a law championed by former Mayor Charlie Hales and passed near the end of his term. Additionally, it’s likely that a May progress report will ask the City Council to expand the threshold of houses covered under the ordinance, from those built in 1916 and earlier, to 1920 and earlier, according to Camille Elmore-Trummer, spokeswoman for the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability.

Deconstruction is described by proponents as the dismantlement of a structure with an eye toward maximizing material reuse and minimizing environmental and health impacts. Supporters hope Portland’s law, said to be the only one of its kind in the U.S., will help establish deconstruction as a new sub-trade in construction.

Since Portland’s law went into effect Oct. 31, 2016, 22 home demolition projects have fallen under the ordinance.

Twelve “Certified Deconstruction Firms” are registered with the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. All took part last summer in a course facilitated by consultancy Earth Advantage. Among them are startups dedicated solely to deconstruction, small homebuilders and large-material-removal specialists that intended to expand their reach.

Mayor Ted Wheeler’s office last week held a press event at a 112-year-old house at 1909 N.W. Third Ave. in Northwest Portland. He was scheduled to meet with the 15 students of the training course, but canceled.

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Deconstruction – thoughtfully taking apart a building with an eye toward material reuse – is not a new idea. But Portland is preparing to make it the new normal.

The City Council recently passed a law, backed by Mayor Charlie Hales, that requires deconstruction of houses built prior to 1917 and all buildings designated historic. After the law takes effect this fall, only contractors certified by the city will be authorized to handle such projects.

So the city is working with Earth Advantage to prepare a workforce of contractors. The classroom for certification this week is a vacant, 35-year-old, single-family home in the Pleasant Valley area. Signs on windows indicate that the property is used by the Portland Police Bureau for canine training, and debris in the upstairs hallway indicates that it’s also used by the bomb squad.

The city’s instructor is Dave Bennink, a Bellingham, Wash., resident who travels around the country instructing in deconstruction. Portland’s program is indeed unique, he said, though Boulder, Colo., also has a robust one, and Vancouver, British Columbia, has maybe the best program he’s seen.

Bennink has contributed chapters to the authoritative book on deconstruction – the Building Materials Reuse Association’s “Introduction to Deconstruction.” Copies were distributed at the training session earlier this week.

“If you demolish your (building) and send everything to the landfill, you’re paying twice – for the demolition, and for the new materials,” he said.

Monday featured a skills assessment where experienced contractors were able to demonstrate they didn’t need the full course. Tuesday and Wednesday were full instruction days involving lecture and demonstrations.

Most companies were represented by an owner. A few sent more than one representative. Some students were members of firms that perform deconstruction – Rose City Disposal sent three people, and the ReBuilding Center was represented by longtime materials reuse advocate Stephen Reichard.

Most of the other participants this week were members of the city’s Prime Contractors Development Program, which helped enable grants to cover course fees. In the future, deconstruction training will run upwards of $1,700, depending on class size.

One thought behind the training is that graduates will pass on what they learned to co-workers and subordinates. After Oct. 31, when the law goes into effect, only businesses with an employee certified in deconstruction will be allowed to perform the work.

Dan Mohrmann, proprietor of Pelican Deconstruction, Salvage and Design, said he feels the winds of change, and wants to be ahead of the curve with adoption of the city’s deconstruction policy. He’s performed the work before, and wants to ensure he’s able to continue after Halloween.

Mohrmann was one of several students seen yawning during a long lecture.

“A lot of us aren’t used to sitting still for that long,” he said.

When Denise Shaw, general manager of Ruffin Construction, debated which employee to send for the certification training, she had about 10 to choose from. She selected her son and business partner, Patrick, who is expected to take over for her one day. The Shaws expect certification in deconstruction to lead to more work for them, but don’t expect it to radically alter their lives.

“You know, if there’s going to be a list of contractors that do (deconstruction), it will be nice to be on that list,” Patrick Shaw said.

City officials hope that with deconstruction’s relatively low bar of entry in terms of cost and skill, the emerging industry segment will provide women and minorities a foothold for growth.

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The Portland City Council on Wednesday gave its final approval to a unique law intended to limit the demolition of old homes.

Last week, the five-member council unanimously supported the ordinance requiring deconstruction (instead of demolition) for all houses and duplexes built in 1916 or earlier, as well as those designated historic.

Mayor Charlie Hales, sponsor of the Deconstruction of Buildings Law, said Portland’s large stock of old wood-framed homes is a crucial element of its unique character. He called passing the law the “right thing to do” while thanking commissioners and staff for their support.

“I am proud of this and I think it will do a lot of good, street by street and house by house, all over our great, old city,” he said.

The law is intended to increase salvage of valuable materials, while reducing demolition’s adverse effects, like dust and noise. The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability will have to report back to the council within the first six to 12 months the law is in effect.

The law will go into effect Oct. 31, at which point only certified deconstruction contractors will be allowed to perform the work.

The law has the potential to affect the local economy by creating more work for certified firms. But business interests like the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland have expressed concern that once the law is in effect, there might not be enough capable contractors able to keep up with demand.

The city will begin certification training July 18. Earth Advantage is assisting the city with training. Contractor training will take place at a city-owned house in Southeast Portland; it’s scheduled for demolition due to its location in an environmental zone, according to Shawn Wood, construction waste specialist with the city.

The law is scheduled to be implemented in phases, with oversight likely provided by Mayor-elect Ted Wheeler after he takes office Jan. 1, 2017.

Earth Advantage representative Jordan Jordan can be contacted via email at jjordan@earthadvantage.org.

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When Hammer & Hand President Sam Hagerman accepted an award for best passive home building practices from the Passive House Institute US last week, he did so on behalf of the entire project team.

The Karuna House in Newberg received first place for a single-family structure during a ceremony in Chicago. Hagerman accepted the award on behalf of Hammer & Hand, Holst Architecture, consultant Dylan Lamar and Earth Advantage.

Zack Semke, director of business development for Hammer & Hand, said the house has won other awards since its construction about a year and a half ago, and that it is the “first project in the world to earn the triple crown of passive house,” which includes the PHIUS award, a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design platinum rating and Minergie-P certification – a Swiss rating system for passive building. The home has also received awards and acclaim from the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Institute of Building Sciences, Green Builder magazine and the American Institute of Architects’ Portland chapter.

“This was a really fantastic project and we all learned a lot from it,” Semke said. “We tried to bring laser focus on actual performance combined with a broader view of sustainability but also address all other green concerns.”

Based on the Karuna House’s first year of operation, Semke said energy needs were driven to low levels from the combination of an advanced building structure and solar design.

The foundation of the house – concrete poured over a thick layer of expanded polystyrene – helps create better thermal performance, and the stud walls of certified wood were insulated with high-density cellulose made of recycled newspaper. Much of the rest of the home was built with engineered wood.

The Karuna House’s owner, Eric Lemelson, commissioned its construction, Semke said.

Semke said projects like this don’t come along often enough and that he would love to do another.

“Ultimately, certification is important; it requires you to meet the numbers,” he said. “But most important is that we’re building at that level.”

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The shovels were shined and ready for a 2008 groundbreaking for the first phase of an expansion at Mary’s Woods at Marylhurst continuing care retirement community in Lake Oswego when the recession hit.

“We were ready to put a shovel in the ground and we had the crash,” said Cheri Mussotto-Conyers, director of marketing and communications for Mary’s Woods. “We made the executive decision to put the project on hold.”

Seven years later, with the expansion finally complete, those involved with the project agree that the end result has been worth the wait.

The 17 new villas added during the past year fit in almost perfectly with 266 independent apartments and 33 villas that were built 15 years ago.

“The most satisfying part for me is that it all works very seamlessly,” said Don Hynes, who served as the owner’s representative and project manager for the recent project. “The old and the new blend in so well, you can’t tell what part you’re in.”

Step inside those new villas, though, and the difference becomes more apparent. Because the villas are Mary’s Wood’s top line units, the tenants were give the option to customize certain interior features. The approach added a new level of complexity to an already challenging project.

Fitting the 17 villas on the 4.31-acre site required some creativity, according to Ariel Chavarria, an architect with Ankrom Moisan, which served as project designer. There also were grading complications due to a 45-foot difference from one end of the property to the other.

“We knew it was going to be a difficult site, so we gave ourselves time to plan for it,” Chavarria said.

Planning also was key when it came to keeping interior customizations straight. Letting one detail slip could have created major headaches, according to Hynes.

“There are 17 villas with three floor plans. You take those 17 and you multiply it by the number of finishes. You change the counters, you change the backsplash, you could end up with 17 variables in every villa for every finish. So it was a very complex process to coordinate,” he said. “You have to get it right. That really could have damaged our schedule and it would have damaged our customers’ confidence. Everybody made it look easy, but it wasn’t easy.”

“It started with documentation,” said Kraig O’Connor, the project manager for general contractor R&H Construction. “Akrom spent a good deal of time being very thorough.”

That attention to detail was carried on by R&H by relaying specific information to subcontractors. Spreadsheets helped everyone involved in the project ensure that the correct finishes ended up in the appropriate units.

“It comes down to collaboration,” O’Connor said. “We were lucky to work with partners who understood the importance of good document control.”

WAITING AND WINNING

Waiting for the recession to pass before starting the project appears to have paid off for Marys’ Woods. Within days of R&H handing the villas’ keys to the continuing care community’s administrators, eager tenants were already moving into their new homes.

“(The new villas) were spoken for within the first 90 days of us starting the presale process,” Mussotto-Conyers said.

The villas tend to appeal to seniors who are at the younger end of the spectrum of tenants that Mary’s Woods serves. As one of only a handful of continuing retirement care communities in Oregon, the community offers a range of living accommodations.

“The whole goal is to keep our seniors really vital and engaged in communities rather than isolated in their own homes,” Mussotto-Conyers said.

For the new villa dwellers at Mary’s Woods, those homes tend to be in the million-dollar range. In order to move into the new villas, seniors paid an entrance fee ranging from $250,000 and $600,000 dollars. They also pay monthly rent for their units.

In return, they’re given access list of services and amenities, including a health center on the Mary’s Woods campus where they can stay if they require short periods of reset after surgeries or illnesses.

“There are no property taxes; we take care of maintenance and housekeeping every week,” Mussotto-Conyers said. “If you need short-term care, you can recoup on campus. If you need to move to … skilled nursing or memory care, we can provide that.”

While catering to residents has proven to be a recipe for success, Mary’s Woods has a different plan for a second phase of development for its community.

That second phase of work will introduce a new concept to the community by including retail space, a wellness center, restaurants and services designed to attract a new, inter-generational component to the existing Mary’s Woods community

“This will double our size … it also allows the outside to come into Mary’s Woods,” Mussotto-Conyers said.

Mary’s Woods Project Team + Stats

Owner: Mary’s Woods at Marylhurst (a nonprofit foundation created by the Sisters of the Holy Name)

Architect: Ankrom Moisan Architects

Landscape architect: Mayer/Reed

Engineers: Pacific Community Design (civil/surveying), Cundiff Engineering Inc. (mechanical, plumbing, electrical), Kramer Gehlen and Associates (structural)

General contractor: R&H Construction

Other associates: Earth Advantage (sustainable design consultant), Structural Waterproofing (envelope consultant),

The Pacific Resources Group (arborist), GRI (geotechnical), Carlson Testing Inc. (special inspections)

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