B76: A wedge shaped 20,000 sq. ft. building in Portland by Skylab

B76 was designed as a working-class building aimed at public transportation connectivity, pedestrian openness, and bicycle priority access.

© Skylab

Architect: Skylab
Client: Key Development
Location: Portland, USA
Year: 2019
Project size: 20,000 sq.ft.
Zoning Constraints: Commercial and Retail uses only with no parking or loading.
Construction Systems: CLT
Developer: Key Development

© Skylab

From the architect: It is positioned centrally in the new eastside community envisioned by the Burnside Bridgehead Framework plan. The ground floor will be activated by storefronts along third avenue and a work space above. This new building program will also reintegrate a pedestrian stair down from the Burnside Bridge level to third avenue akin to the original stairs that previously existed.

© Stephen Miller

This wedge-shaped 20,000 sq ft building will feature a new CLT structural system with open ground level commuter oriented retail environments for daily guests and tenants. The workspace above will be wrapped in brick masonry with the building acting as an anchor for the Burnside Bridge and a gateway to the eastside community.

© Stephen Miller

Site Characteristics/Constraints
A leftover berm space was created when the City of Portland built the new one-way Couch Street couplet reconnecting the roadway to the Burnside Bridge. This Central Eastside site is located at the geographic heart of the City of Portland and at the edge of the daily commuter flow of automobiles, bikes and pedestrians.

© Stephen Miller

The development helps to strengthen the connection between the eastside community and the westside downtown urban core. Also located in the neighborhood is the world-renowned Burnside Skatepark, constructed on an adjacent leftover city space beneath the Burnside Bridge and leased to the skate community. The building development team has additionally leased a small space under the bridge adjacent to b76 and the skate park for food carts. This will extend the Third Avenue ground level retail environment into the forgotten and unused urban spaces full of creative potential.

© Stephen Miller

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© Stephen Miller

© Stephen Miller

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