A groundbreaking mixed-use residential building in Portland, Oregon, is redefining how seniors approach aging in place through innovative co-housing design. The Ellen Browning Building, designed by Hacker Architects and photographed by Jeremy Bittermann, represents a unique approach to senior living that prioritizes community while maintaining individual independence in an urban setting.
The project originated from a deeply personal vision when a group of close friends contemplated how to preserve their relationships during their later years. Recognizing that co-housing, with its emphasis on community and shared living spaces, could provide the perfect solution, these friends decided to develop their own residential building that would balance togetherness with the independence that urban living offers.
Strategically located within a vibrant retail and commercial district along Division Street in Southeast Portland, the site selection reflects a broader aging-in-place strategy. Like many seniors today, the residents chose to live in a walkable, amenity-rich environment with access to healthcare services, recognizing the importance of urban accessibility for maintaining quality of life as they age.
Rather than maximizing the number of residential units for profit, the 34,000-square-foot development prioritizes the quality of urban experience for both occupants and neighbors. The building features ten thoughtfully designed residences that respond to various site influences, with single-level flats located on the second and third floors ranging from 1,000 to 4,000 square feet. Ground-level apartments are strategically included to accommodate guests or future on-site medical caretakers, demonstrating forward-thinking planning for changing needs.
The building's contribution to neighborhood vitality extends beyond residential use through a set of street-level retail spaces and an art gallery. This mixed-use approach reflects the residents' collective interest in creating a building that actively contributes to the dynamism and cultural richness of the surrounding cityscape, rather than simply occupying space within it.
Architecturally, the Ellen Browning Building serves as an urban canvas for natural light through its distinctive cladding of fluted, off-white terra cotta panels. This textured exterior translates the ever-changing quality of daylight to visually animate both the building and the broader neighborhood through an interplay of color and shadow throughout the day. A series of terraced patios further softens the building's presence, helping to break down its scale and create a more human-friendly streetscape.
The terraces, featuring verdant, leafy privacy screens, function as vertical front yards where residents can engage with friends and neighbors while enjoying outdoor space within the urban setting. This design element bridges the gap between private and public spaces, fostering community interaction while maintaining personal privacy.
Constructionally, the building showcases innovative building techniques with a post-tensioned concrete frame and a top floor constructed using cross-laminated timber (CLT) and wood beams. The strategic use of prefabrication for both CLT and terra cotta elements helped minimize on-site construction work, shortening the construction timeline while reducing overall costs. Additional high-quality materials include thermally efficient fiberglass windows, metal trellises and guardrails, and Ipe decking, with a small underground parking garage located beneath the building.
Interior design reflects a philosophy of elegant simplicity through a carefully curated palette of minimally finished materials, including white oak floors and ceilings paired with clean gypsum board walls. Residents were able to personalize their spaces by selecting from a limited set of kitchen and casework templates, while providing their own furnishings to create individual character within the cohesive design framework.
Art integration plays a significant role throughout the common areas, featuring custom installations including a bespoke chandelier, a digital art display wall, and outdoor sculpture pieces. The terraces are defined by a grid of painted steel tubes and rods that serve as structural armature for star jasmine plantings, which will eventually grow to cover portions of the building, creating a living, evolving facade.
The fourth floor serves as the communal heart of the building, providing a rich array of amenities and both indoor and outdoor spaces. By clustering all shared facilities on one level, the design ensures ample room for residents to enjoy solitude or social interaction regardless of their chosen activity, whether cooking, dining, playing games, crafting, reading, swimming, or watching movies.
This innovative project addresses a critical social need at a time when social connections are increasingly strained. By developing their own building, this group of friends has ensured that their tight-knit extended family and social network will continue to thrive. The Ellen Browning Building demonstrates how thoughtful architecture can preserve social sustainability within a physical environment that is both supportive and engaging for its occupants while contributing positively to the broader community experience.
