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Alberta House

Portland, Oregon 2015
Alberta House. Front facade
1/13

The residence is located in Portland’s Alberta neighborhood on a 60 x 100 ft lot that has a small bungalow on the property. The initial brief called for a substantial increase in the size of the existing house. However, we saw an opportunity in eschewing typical approaches to simply adding on. Instead of the existing house serving as the primary residence, we proposed that the original structure be used as an apartment and positioned a new and much larger single family residence above.

Alberta House. Exploded isometric
Alberta House. View from down the street
Alberta House. Ground floor apartment

Maximizing the buildable width for the lot, the new residence provides a covered perimeter at the ground level that allows for a wide range of uses. Slender columns largely bear the additional vertical loads and minimized demands on the existing footings. The walls of the ground level apartment were strengthened to resist lateral forces. Since the building footprint remained unchanged, the generous space of the backyard was preserved.

Alberta House. Ground floor plan
Alberta House. Rear facade

The apartment is entered via a wide south-facing porch in the side yard. Within the unit, the social areas open onto the back. The primary residence is entered through a blank wall at the front. An entry and closet room lead to the upper floors and brought the apartment within the allowable area for accessory dwelling units. On the second level the social areas of the primary residence overlook the street through operable floor to ceiling windows. The bedrooms, baths, and laundry overlook the backyard.

Alberta House. Kitchen
Alberta House. Living room stair

Countering the openness of the front and rear facades, the side walls are left blank and offer privacy from neighbors and future development along the adjacent commercial strip. A roof deck and the owner’s suite are located on the top floor. Two blocks— one housing the bath and the other housing the closet— define the bedroom and adjacent study, giving an open ended character to the roof level. The deck looks out over NE Portland and the West Hills beyond.

Alberta House. View of the house from Alberta Street
Alberta House. Roof deck
Alberta House. View towards the deck from the third floor rooms

Location: Portland, Oregon
Project: 2014–15
Client: private
Program: single family house, accessory apartment
Area: 3,700 sq ft

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