Concordia Middle Housing
portland, OR
adding middle housing density to bring the whole family together WITH COMFORTABLE inter-generational DESIGN.
Project Overview
This clients live in a 1929 home and owned the empty 5,000sf lot to their south. The clients wanted to bring their parents and extended family closer to them while maintaining private space, for everyone’s comfort and safety. Being close just makes more sense, and thoughtful design makes it possible.
more livable space
We carefully added a new primary unit with an attached ADU on the second floor, and a second ADU over a new garage. The goal was to increase the livable space while providing ample outdoor space for gathering and gardening.
Existing home was not altered.
Neighboring lot was being used primarily for gardening before the new build.
Street view of the new home with the attached ADU, which is essentially a duplex.
Streetfront view: Pop-outs and pop-ins help the duplex better fit the scale of the surrounding neighborhood. These design moves also create interesting and functional spaces at the interior.
Energy resiliency
This high-energy efficiency build results in lower carbon footprint and lower energy bills. This also means the spaces are more comfortable to live in and more resilient to new climate extremes. The envelopes are designed to keep fire smoke out in the summer while providing a higher degree of comfort during extended power outages, and the solar-ready status will provide even more energy independence when the panels are installed.
Stairs to Unit 2
Stairs to Caregiver unit in Unit 1
Articulating Exterior Space
Movement diagram
Variety of space types
Walking paths are designed to provide opportunities for spontaneous interactions.
Shared Gathering space is a nexus for their lives together
These varied spaces offer a rich fabric for a deeper family connection. Each person can find the space that feels the most comfortable based on the climate, or on their personal preference. The spaces provide proximity while maintaining personal space, which is essential for maintaining healthy relationships.
Each unit has a porch that is connected to central courtyard, while providing semi-private outdoor space.
The gathering space is central to all units, simple, visible, and easily accessible.
Ground floor space diagram showing space kinds of spaces, paths, and different units. Darker shades depict more private spaces.
Space integration
This diagram shows the relationships between connective spaces.
Each unit has a semi-private porch. Views to the courtyard are favored by more public facing rooms, such as living rooms.
Walking paths connect everything, and the gathering spaces are central to all units.
Second Floor space diagram diagram showing entertaining rooms facing courtyard.
Here we can see how the units are related on the top floor. Unit 1 (1400 sf, orange) occupies a small portion of the second floor.
Unit 2 (800sf, yellow ) two bedroom on the second floor with an entry stair connected to the street . Unit 3 (600sf, purple) is an ADU above a garage.
There are now a total of 4 units total on two lots, each with separate entrances, unique profiles, plenty of light, air, and green space.
Accessibility and Aging in Place
The bottom floor of the duplex has an accessible ramp to enable residents to age in place. This was done to consider the parents and their aging journey. If mobility becomes an issue in the future, the upper portion of this unit could be used for a caregiver.
Unit 1 kitchen on the ground floor.
Even the smallest unit has all the necessities
Unit three’s “Juliet Balcony” provides an exceptional connection between the living room and the courtyard
The 600sf ADU above the garage has its own stairwell entrance, balcony, bedroom, living room, views into the courtyard, a kitchen, and an in unit washer and drier.
This site now has room for four family units of various sizes, ages, and positions in life. This allows the family members to move between units as their lives change. Larger units for families, accessible units for elderly, and smaller units for folks just starting out. The shared exterior has been active and appreciated, which is a testament to our design principle of balancing private spaces with the more public shared spaces.
