A groundbreaking senior housing project in Portland, Oregon, is redefining how older adults can age in place while maintaining both community connections and personal independence. The Ellen Browning Building, designed by local firm Hacker Architects, represents a unique approach to senior living where longtime friends came together to fund and create their own condominium building that functions as a co-housing community.
The 34,000-square-foot building was conceived by a group of friends who were entering or approaching their senior years and wanted to remain close to each other as they continued aging. Rather than relying on traditional senior housing options, this innovative group decided to take control of their future by developing their own residential building. According to Hacker Architects, the project allows the friends to "balance togetherness with the independence of urban living."
Strategically located in a vibrant commercial district in southeast Portland, the building site was carefully chosen for its walkable environment and proximity to amenities and healthcare services. This location selection was integral to the group's overall strategy to age in place successfully. The architects designed the building to maximize "the urban experience for occupants and neighbors alike," ensuring it contributes positively to the surrounding community.
The roughly rectangular building features four above-grade levels connected by both stairs and elevators, with a small underground parking garage. The ground level serves a mixed-use function, while the central two floors house the residential units. The top floor is dedicated entirely to communal spaces, including areas for swimming, cooking, dining, reading, playing games, watching movies, and various other activities. "Clustering all of the shared spaces on one level ensures there's plenty of room to be by oneself or with others regardless of activity," the design team explained.
The building contains a total of 10 residential units ranging from 1,000 to 4,000 square feet. These residences comprise a mix of condos and rentals, with three units located on the ground floor specifically set aside for renters, guests, or future on-site caregivers. The ground level also features retail space and a public art gallery, which "adds dynamism to the cityscape, reflecting their collective interest in creating a building that contributes to the vitality of the neighborhood."
The building's exterior showcases fluted, cream-colored terracotta panels that create an "urban canvas for daylight." The architects explained that "the textured exterior translates the ever-changing quality of light to visually animate the building and the neighborhood through color and shadow." To break down the building's scale and create a more intimate feel, the studio employed stepped massing, resulting in attractive terraced patios throughout the structure.
Metal railings and trellises on these terraces are designed to accommodate the growth of star jasmine, a flowering vine that will eventually cover portions of the exterior. "The terraces, which feature verdant, leafy privacy screens, function as vertical front yards where residents can engage with their friends and enjoy the outdoors and the urban setting," the team noted.
The construction utilizes a post-tensioned concrete frame, with the top floor built using cross-laminated timber decking and glue-laminated beams. Prefabrication of both the CLT elements and terracotta facade panels helped reduce construction time and costs. Inside, the building features a simple but elegant palette of finishes, including gypsum board walls and white oak flooring and ceilings. Each resident was able to choose their kitchen and casework materials from a set of standardized offerings.
Artwork is integrated throughout the building's common areas, including a custom chandelier, a digital art display wall, and outdoor sculpture pieces, complementing the ground-level gallery. The overall design philosophy aims to help ensure residents can live together and "preserve their relationships during their last years."
According to the architects, "Developing their own building ensures that this group of friends and their tight-knit extended family and social network will continue. At a time when social connections are increasingly strained, this project helps to preserve social sustainability in a physical environment that is supportive and engaging for its occupants and those who experience it." The project serves as an innovative model for senior housing that prioritizes both community connection and individual autonomy in an urban setting.
