District Office honored by the Portland Design Commission with annual Design Excellence Award
District Office is within close walking distance of more than 30 restaurants, public transit, and numerous retailers. The addition of this exceptional office building is expected to anchor the center of Grand/Stark corridor as well as foster neighborhood growth
Portland, November 27, 2018 – The Portland Design Commission has named District Office, a six-story mass timber creative office building in the Central Eastside of Portland, as the 2017 Design Excellence Award recipient. The site, once home to the Portland Music Company, will be transformed with a new, six-story building featuring ground floor retail, open office floorplates, generous ceiling heights and innovative, double-height indoor/outdoor deck spaces. Project partner Hacker Architects was on hand at the annual Design Commission Report to Portland City Council, where this year’s award winner was announced.
“It’s a great honor for the Design Commission to recognize the work that went into this project,” said Beam Development Principal Jonathan Malsin. “Through the efforts of the entire team, District Office offers a new perspective on workspace that reflects the ethos of the Central Eastside.”
In its second year, the Design Excellence Award recognizes one outstanding project for the previous year that represents what the commission considers to be the strongest response to the approval criteria of the Type III design review process. During 2017, the commission approved 37 Type III cases, including District Office.
“As we review projects together, we look for consensus among the commission and District Office was at the top of everyone’s list,” said Julie Livingston, Chair of the Portland Design Commission. “The design understands and responds to the context and historic character of the Central Eastside, and creates an environment for the 21st century with simple and effective building technology.”
Partners in the project include:
Developer - Beam Development and Urban Development + Partners (UD + P)
Architect - Hacker Architects
General Contractor - Andersen Construction
Broker - JLL
“The enthusiasm for District Office by the Portland Design Commission echoes what we’re hearing in the marketplace,” said JLL Managing Director Jake Lancaster. “Beam Development has been a catalyst driving the transformation in the Central Eastside, making the vision for District Office a reality.”
District Office is within close walking distance of more than 30 restaurants, public transit, and numerous retailers. The addition of this exceptional office building is expected to anchor the center of Grand/Stark corridor as well as foster neighborhood growth. With 72,000 square feet of office space, District Office offers an extensive list of best in class features such as highly efficient mechanical systems, indoor / outdoor lounge space with operable windows and abundant natural light. The innovative design includes a 40’ column-to-window span to maximize floor plan flexibility and allows for efficient open or private office layouts. In addition, the building will be built with cross-laminated timber manufactured in Oregon, which is a highly durable and resilient type of mass timber construction that achieves larger spans, beautiful exposed structure, lower environmental impact and benefits the rural Oregon economy. The project’s completion date is late 2019.
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