In a collaboration between Portland Community College (PCC) and Home Forward (a public corporation contracted with the federal government to administer housing programs), Hacker recently completed the design of a four-story, 87,742-square-foot housing development providing 84 economically- and family-friendly apartments.
Serving a resident population at or below 60% median family income, the units prioritize flexibility and comfort, and will support a variety of living situations for tenants with different needs, including adequate room for families and single parents as well as bedroom schemes for multiple adult roommates.
![Home Forward Killingsworth](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Home-Forward-Killingsworth-by-Hacker-01.jpg)
The building houses a mix of three-bedroom (15 units), two-bedroom (45 units), one-bedroom (6 units), and studios (18 units). The site also houses PCC’s new Opportunity Center and a childcare center—both of which will be resources for residents.
The three-acre site design strives to balance the sensitive transition of a larger housing project with the surrounding neighborhoods, while simultaneously maintaining an active public scale and provide a civic permanence to a neglected public street frontage.
![Home Forward Killingsworth](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Home-Forward-Killingsworth-by-Hacker-02.jpg)
![Home Forward Killingsworth](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Home-Forward-Killingsworth-by-Hacker-03.jpg)
Indoor and outdoor community spaces are especially significant, honoring the neighborhood’s rich communal history: a kids’ courtyard, terraced and connected by slides, adjoins the laundry room lounge, and a second courtyard with multiple gathering spaces and outdoor seating connecting to a communal first floor family room.
A public plaza connects the two projects with a space to host community gardens, job fairs, farmer’s markets, and other neighborhood gatherings that serve residents and PCC students.
![Home Forward Killingsworth](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Home-Forward-Killingsworth-by-Hacker-04.jpg)
Simple gabled forms are arranged to create a pair of private courtyards and to activate Killingsworth along with a ‘plaza street’ shared with the new Opportunity Center.
These agrarian and unassuming forms, combined with a playful pattern of textured metal siding, break down the overall massing and add visual interest which references the unique character of the Cully Neighborhood.
![Home Forward Killingsworth](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Home-Forward-Killingsworth-by-Hacker-05.jpg)
With an Earth Advantage Platinum certification goal, Hacker incorporated cost-saving and cost-efficient methods into the design, including: optimizing building plan dimensions and floor-to-floor heights to minimize wood-framing and gyp-board waste.
Besides structural design that eliminates the need for a more expensive post-tensioned concrete slab; and thoughtful placement of exterior glazing to optimize the overall window-to-wall ratio. The project’s expected completion date is August 2024. Source by Hacker.
![Home Forward Killingsworth](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Home-Forward-Killingsworth-by-Hacker-06.jpg)
![Home Forward Killingsworth](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Home-Forward-Killingsworth-by-Hacker-07.jpg)
- Location: Portland, Oregon, USA
- Architect: Hacker
- Design Principal: David Keltner
- Principal-in-Charge/Project Manager: Laura Klinger
- Project Architect: Caitlin Ranson
- Architectural Designer: Caleb Couch, Chris Hodney
- Technical Review QA/QC: Matt Sugarbaker
- Interior Design Principal: Jennie Fowler
- Interior Design: Katherine Park
- Landscape: PLACE
- Civil Engineer: VEGA Civil Engineering LLC
- Structural Engineer: ABHT Structural Engineers
- Mechanical & Plumbing Engineer: PAE Engineering
- Electrical Engineer: PAE Engineering
- Lighting: O-LLC
- Acoustical Engineer: Listen Acoustics
- Signage and Wayfinding: Ambrosini Design
- Code & Accessibility Consultant: Code Unlimited
- Specifications: m.thrailkill.architect.llc
- Contractor: O’Neill/Walsh Construction
- Client: Home Forward
- Area: 87,742-square-foot
- Year: 2022
- Images: Courtesy of Hacker
![Home Forward Killingsworth](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Home-Forward-Killingsworth-by-Hacker-08.jpg)
![Home Forward Killingsworth](https://aasarchitecture.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Home-Forward-Killingsworth-by-Hacker-09.jpg)