Broadway Student Housing: Portland, Oregon

Otak provided design services for Gerding-Edlen Development and Portland State University for a 212,095 s.f., ten-story, mixed-use building on a 30,000 s.f. site located adjacent to the campus. The building provides 384 studio apartment units, 15,230 s.f. of ground-floor retail or service use space, and 17,910 s.f. of second-floor office and classroom space. The apartments are located on the third floor through the tenth floor of the building. The primary exterior building materials are brick veneer and metal panels with concrete columns. Windows for the ground-floor retail spaces feature clear glass with aluminum storefront. Metal and glass canopies extend over the public sidewalks. Windows for the offices on the second level and the apartments above consist of clear glass with aluminum frames.

An eco-roof was installed over 60 percent of the roof area. The eco-roof is intended to slow storm drainage from the roof and to provide a degree of treatment of the storm water. The plant materials were chosen to be drought tolerant, self-sustaining, and fire-resistant. A drip irrigation system is planned to assist the plantings during low precipitation periods.

Consistent with both Gerding-Edlen’s and Portland State University’s desire to promote environmentally responsible development, this project is certified LEED Silver, and was completed on a fast-track design to meet deadlines for student housing.