The Pearl Apartments, a building true to its name, is on the rise in Portland’s Pearl District.

Crews broke ground on the project in late July 2020, first demolishing a 6,000-square-foot concrete building on the quarter-block site at 1315 N.W. Johnson St., at the intersection with Northwest 13th Avenue. The new seven-story, 39,000-square-foot structure will hold 58 small residential units ranging from 300-square-foot studios to 688-square-foot two-story apartments. The ground floor will have retail space.

Bob Thompson is leading TVA Architects‘ design team. General contractor Seabold Construction is building the structure for Paul Properties and Johnson 13 LLC.

Long ago, trains ran along 13th avenue and dictated that all the sidewalks be elevated so that freight could be loaded and unloaded more easily. That led to similar sidewalks being chosen for the Pearl Apartments, in homage to the district’s past.

The exterior design is also reminiscent of industrial use, Thompson said, with Gunn-metal brick skin and punched openings. To also provide a bit of architectural rhythm and color, tight metal cladding and rib metal siding were included.

“(It) created a nice rhythm and geometry to the exterior elevations,” Thompson said.

Mahogany wood framing for windows will be used to tie the whole structure together down to the ground floor.

The goal of the project is to maximize the living experience in a tightly compacted space, Thompson said. To make units look bigger, floor-to-ceiling windows will be installed.

“Typically, apartments will have a little punch unit (window) at the end,” Thompson said. “But by providing that much glass, the space just flows to the outside, and you get this kind of relief (that) just maximizes the space.”

Inside units, each bedroom will have a sliding, barn-style door able to stay partially open to let in more light to the living space.

Developing a contemporary building that speaks to the district’s historical character was an opportunity and not a challenge, Thompson said.

Installation of wood framing is under way, though work on the seventh story was delayed due to the recent snowstorm, Seabold Construction field superintendent Jason Rekucki said. Ice and rainwater on the top floor would’ve made moving walls around too difficult, he explained. Three weeks are expected to allow crews to finish the top story and the permanent roof.

Also last week, crews were waiting for a dry day to pour the concrete for the ground floor. Rekucki said he had hoped to have it poured on Tuesday, but melting snow and ice would’ve complicated such an effort.

Despite delays tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, wildfires and weather, construction is expected to end up finishing Rekucki said it still should be a 16-month long project.

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Despite a recommendation of conditional approval from staff at the Portland Bureau of Development Services, the Portland Design Commission on Thursday decided designs for Blocks 41 and 44 in the South Waterfront need more revisions.

Developer Cairn Pacific and land owner Prometheus Real Estate Group want to include two 7-story buildings with a total of 524 market-rate apartments, 10,500 feet of retail space and parking. The complex will be bordered by Southwest River Parkway to the west, the Willamette River to the east, Southwest Lowell Street to the south and Southwest Lane Street to the north. Abernethy Pedestrian Way will separate Block 44 and Block 41.

“The building massing took an approach to create a hard urban edge to create some rhythm along the streetscape and create a lot of activity to reinforce the street edge,” Kyle Andersen, principal with GBD Architects, said. In addition to handling the design for Block 44, GBD teamed up with Jones Architecture for the design of Block 41.

The design team tried to soften the urban edge as it approached the river and tried to create space between the two structures, according to Andersen.

“In particular, (Blocks) 41 and 44 share some massing elements, which create some negative space between them,” he said.

However, some commissioners thought the buildings shared too many elements and suggested designers try to vary some design features to give each building a more distinct look.

“When I look at these two buildings, although I know you in your designer mode see them as two completely different buildings, with their muscularity and scale of the setbacks, they read kind of like twins,” said Commission Vice Chairman Tad Savinar. “I know that is not your intent. You’re working very hard not to have that.”

Of particular concerns for the design panel were the north elevation of Block 41 and the west elevation of the Block 44. Both elevations currently present long stretches with minimal elements breaking up each wall.

“I think there is an issue of extremely long, by Portland standards, walls that could use some attention. … The massing seems monolithic.” said Commissioner David Wark, who relinquished his seat as chairman to Julie Livingston earlier this month.

Another issue that concerned both commissioners and neighbors near the proposed development focused on the tops of the two buildings. The proposed designs for both buildings show white rooftops around HVAC equipment in order to maximize energy efficiency and reduce cooling needs of the structures.

Diane Pelaski said she and others living in buildings near the proposed development are concerned that such a treatment could reflect light and cause glare for people living in nearby apartments.

Neighbors said they also were concerned about possible conflicts between cars and pedestrians on Abernethy Pedestrian Way. In the current design Abernethy serves as both a driveway to the garages for both buildings and a pedestrian way that leads to the greenway and river to the east.

Commissioners recommended adding signage and possibly using different materials for pedestrian and vehicle areas to differentiate them.

“It seems like there is a logic and safety here that might help everyone out,” Savinar said. “You give (pedestrians) one color and cars another.”

For the the Block 41 structure, commissioners asked the development team to look at ways to increase retail along the waterfront

“We still don’t have a restaurant along that stretch of the waterfront,” Savinar said.

Commissioners were also concerned with massing and coherency of the Block 44 building, saying changes in color and height gave the impression of too many interlocking sections of different buildings.

One area of the project that drew compliments from commissioners was the use of landscaping, including how trees were used in the complex. Place Studio is the landscape architect for the project.

“The tree diversity and the use of different species (are) fantastic,” Savinar said. “In that landscaping strip, the diversity of trees is some of the best I’ve seen in the project, so I appreciate that.”

The project will return to the commission on Aug. 17.

Also on Thursday, the design commission unanimously approved a design for The Pearl Apartments, a new seven-story, market-rate apartment building at  1319 N.W. Johnson St.

Developed by The Paul Properties LLC, the 39,000-square-foot structure will include 58 residential units and approximately 3,400 square feet of ground-floor retail.

TVA Architects’ design for the project was approved on its second attempt before the commission. Commissioners were very enthusiastic of design revisions that they made.

“This will be a fantastic addition to the Pearl District,” said Commission Chair Julie Livingston. “It’s very well done and well executed. The quality and permanence guidelines you’ve just knocked out of the park as well.”

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