One Good ADU Deserves Another
Portland's ADU revolution is making local and national news, thanks to the newly published book, Backdoor Revolution. As our clients and friends know, we've been working at this for awhile, and were pleased to see our work make the rounds in two articles in OregonLive, one on the book itself, and another showcasing the perks and benefits of developing an ADU. The book also garnered coverage in The Atlantic Monthly, with our Hawthorne Park ADU (pictured above) featured prominently.
As we continue to add to our ADU portfolio, we are pleased to share a recently completed garden studio on N Cleveland. The space is now a working studio and guest space, but could easily convert to a separate living space. The common need for all these uses: sunlight and openness. So, how do you make a welcoming space that brings in qualities of light and air? The design of such spaces makes us consider a site's access to daylight, ceiling height, and materials. As always we work from the outside in and inside out. Where is the space located and how is it going to be used?
We chose the north edge of the yard – preserving outdoor space with a shared courtyard and gardens with an outdoor deck. It’s own separate access brings privacy and the potential to be converted to an attached ADU with minimal changes, including a second floor and a roof deck. Designed to provide a warm and functional living, work area and guest space; A glazed vestibule with skylight opens up to the one bedroom studio with tall ceilings, balanced daylight from multiple directions. The result is a light and bright space with exposed concrete floors, reflecting the surrounding exterior environment.
The number and types of ADUs being constructed across Portland is interesting, and we are enjoying the opportunity to stretch the bounds of what's possible for this flourishing housing movement through creative approaches to sites, weaving into existing architectural vernacular, and creating warm and inviting quarters in compact spaces, as in our Collins View ADU, shown below.
