Winners of the Portland Courtyard Housing Design Competition Announced

Seen on portlandonline.org:

Inner Portland site design winners
Honor — Keith Rivera, Santa Barbara, California

 

Merit — Lucas Posada, Kai Yonezawa, Peter Keyes, Tyler Nishitani, Portland, Oregon

 

Citation — Steven Bull, Dan Rusler, James Steel, Seattle, Washington

 

Honorable Mention — Don Rattner New York, New York

 

Eastern Portland site design winners
Honor — Emory Baldwin, Shirley Tomita, Mausmi Saito, Lara Norwind, Joelyn Freilinger, Seattle, Washington

 

Merit — Rhonda Goyke, Matthew Goyke, Steven Gangwes, Morris Onishi, Ethan Levine, Honolulu, Hawaii

 

Citation — Steven Dangermond, Christopher Keane, Portland, Oregon

 

Honorable Mention — Jerome Burgos, New York, New York

Competition Criteria

Entrants were asked to address the following criteria in their designs:
Versatile Courtyards
Proposals should maximize the multifunctional use of scarce urban space with courtyards that provide outdoor space that can meet the needs of families with children, serve as a gathering place for residents, and provide stormwater management and other environmental benefits. Submitted designs should also provide a courtyard environment that creates a compelling urban place.
Functional Homes
Entrants should propose principles and solutions that achieve a high level of functionality for a variety of household types, with special emphasis on families with children. Consideration will be given to designs that are sensitive to the unique needs of today’s diverse families, accommodate a variety of physical abilities, adapt to changing household composition and changes in the developmental needs of family members, and balance competing demands for privacy and community.
Sustainable Solutions
Designs should recognize the importance of sustainability at the building and site scale through the use of sustainable technologies, resource conservation, and energy efficiency. Recognizing the benefits of compact development at the community and regional scale, designs should also provide adequate densities that maximize the number of units without compromising livability.
Interior-Exterior Relationships
This is a unique opportunity to carefully consider the relationship between indoor and outdoor spaces in a way that balances community orientation with privacy needs, as this balance is a central design issue for housing oriented to shared courtyards. Designs should maximize relationships between outdoor and indoor spaces and demonstrate an interconnection between these homes and the larger neighborhood.
Affordable Designs
Proposals should recognize the importance of affordability at the unit level and at the site level. This should be done in a way that recognizes family and community budget constraints and balances first cost with life-cycle costs. This may result in appropriate methods and material choices, sustainable site and building design strategies that minimize energy-use, and densities that distribute the cost of development. This may also lead to solutions that demonstrate an adaptability to a range of infill site configurations. Designs suited to serving as affordable homeownership opportunities for moderate-income households are particularly encouraged.
Contextual Responses
The sites selected for this competition are embedded within an existing urban fabric and proposals should respond appropriately to the neighborhood context. Designs should contribute to a pedestrian-friendly environment along the public street frontage.