Designing (and Developing) a Kaven For North Portland

When I posted a renewed query for projects a few days ago, one of the first people I heard from was local architecture firm William Kaven  a partnership between Daniel Kaven and his brother, Trevor William Lewis. (The firm is named after their grandfather, so that's why it's called William Kaven instead of Kaven-Lewis or Lewis-Kaven.)

The project is a three-unit residential project in North Portland called North House, the design of which I’m told is about to be approved by the city. Construction is slated to begin by the end of the summer. The project is being developed by Left Coast, LLC of which Kaven is a partner in addition to heading his eponymous architecture firm.

Daniel Kaven tells Portland Architecture that the project is situated on a 50 by 120-foot lot in which an existing boarded-up home was replaced. “We maximized the density on the lot in building three units,” Kaven says, “but backed off from packing it in with too much living space.”

Each unit has a private courtyard and an expansive rooftop sun deck with views of the city. Passive green design features include stacked ventilation, a balance of ample windows overhangs for maximized daylighting, and (drumroll please) built-in laundry drying system on the roof decks.

I’ve always been a big fan of architects who develop their own projects. It’s easier said than done, of course, and requires a blend of resources, sacrifice and moxie. If you’re like Kevin Cavenaugh, who designed and developed the recently-opened Rocket building on East Burnside, it meant hauling construction waste in your pickup every Friday in addition to creating the design. Terms like ‘DIY’ have become cliché, but I admire those who take their careers into their own hands like that.

Besides, these renderings seem to give reason to be optimistic. Proof is in the ribbon-cutting, as always, but I like what I see here. It's a simple series of stacked boxes with plenty of glass, not radically different but with the opportunity to be a quality addition to the neighborhood. One never likes to hear of an old house being torn down, but density has to come from someplace, and the North House seems vastly better than the skinny-house eyesores or garish gingerbread that might have existed here. And in saying that, I'm not just Kaven under pressure.

Comments

[ADH]

Not sure about those cat tails under the windows. Makes me think 'mosquito habitat.'

[convolooted]

"Not sure about those cat tails under the windows. Makes me think 'mosquito habitat.'"

Well, if all you have to critique is the diagramatic plantings shown in the rendering, then I would guess the design is a success.

[TJ]

Very nice indeed.

[john]

Nice, nice, nice

anyone know where in N. Portland?

[Convolooted]

4054 N Vancouver Ave.

here is a link to the BDS Conditional Use public notice, which also contains floor plans and elevations.

http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=151186

[sh]

Is there a garage affilliated with this niceness? Why does it feel like modern infill architecture has neglected to consider the way that people actually live; we live with stuff. Not just sleek laptops and cutlery, but kayaks and bicycles and the odd sewing machine.

And i'm not speaking as someone who wants to stable their auto, but as someone who desires a place to indulge in the messes that are part of everyday pnw living (waxing the skis, cleaning the bike chain, making something beyond the culinary).

Why, I wonder, does the comment thread seldom address real elements of actually inhabiting the spaces shown. Sure, we like expansive windows, cat tails and other amenities, but we also like the option of a banal session in the garage (because i'm certain a basement is too cost ineffective to even consider). It saddens me that most modern architecture in pdx assumes that life is confined to the clean spaces of the living room and roof deck.

[Richard]

I'm also impressed by what's shown in the renderings. The buildings look handsome--visually interesting without seeming cluttered with extraneous detail. I also like that the goals of density and space-efficiency are apparently achieved without overwhelming the site (though I guess this is an especially difficult thing to assess by means of drawings.) The roof-top deck is a way of using space that I'm surprised isn't employed more frequently in these parts.

That said, "sh" raises a point that does resonate a bit with me. It does seem like clean, efficient modern design is sometimes achieved at the cost of practicality--like a stage set without adequate dressing rooms or backstage areas. On the other hand, if the aim is to design three dwelling units to fit on a standard city lot and provide each of those units with a private outdoor area, then something has to give. And maybe the best thing to sacrifice is storage space for the kayak or a place for doing engine work on the car. I have to assume that there's enough room in or around these units for cleaning a bicycle chain.

[george]

hurm, looking at the plans, you get a parking spot.

perhaps 20 years down the line we'll see a garage there. either that or some blue tarp covered kyacks on the patios.

storage aside, i like the renderings. i am excited by the direction the VW corridor is taking, its lining up to be a showpiece of 00's architecture.

[Dean]

beautiful, personally, i prefer to live with less stuff, a bike, a tent, but you can put that in a closet...and hey, i like my sleek laptop. i'd prefer a rooftop garden to grow my plants on than a garage! tops!