In numerology, the number 11 has huge significance. It is a "master number" that can signify change, revelation, and inspiration. Maybe it's just a coincidence that the group of designer-developers putting on the 11xDesign homes tour this weekend ended up with that number of homes on the tour. But I feel more tempted than usual to see symbolic value in 11xDesign because it represents for me a wave of emerging talent in the city.
I wrote an article about the 11xDesign tour for Dwell magazine's blog that was published today, and you can read a more extensive account of the homes and designers there. But for those interested in the practical details, here they are:
11xDesign is a free self-guided homes tour from 10AM to 5PM Saturday (no tickets necessary) put on by the people who designed and have built them. The firms involved, such as Path Architecture, Atelier Waechter, SUM Design Studio, Seed Architecture, Reworks/Penkin Development, Building Arts Workshop, Brett Crawford Architecture & Planning, William Kaven Architecture, Webster Wilson Design, are diverse. Yet a connecting thread is their desire to create contemporary architecture in Portland's historic neighborhoods. It's often a trickier proposition to fit in with historic bungalows, Victorians, and Queen Anne homes than it is to build in former industrial areas like the Pearl District and South Waterfront. Granted, these are vastly smaller projects that don't require the capital of a major condo or office tower. But I've been very impressed by the design acumen shown by the 11xDesign homes, most of which I've previously visited, and the designers behind them.
“People are more willing to do that here,” Waechter says in the Dwell article. “First to strike out on their own at all as architects, but then to develop their own projects and then to collaborate with their competitors. Our architect friends in other cities don’t have that as much.”
It's very Portland, somehow. And yet that spirit didn't begin with the 11xDesign group, either. Recently I wrote a long profile of 82-year-old architect Saul Zaik, a legend of Northwest midcentury modern architecture and a contemporary of local architects like Pietro Belluschi, Van Evra Bailey and John Yeon. Zaik and many of his colleagues got their start in the 1950s as the '14th Street Gang', which similarly collaborated and cooperated with their small firms.
If there are readers out there who feel I've focused too much on some of these small studio firms doing this tour and/or developing their own projects, please know that I'm equally willing and wanting to cover whatever it is you think I've neglected in terms of architects and projects. I've mentioned some of the 11xDesign people numerous times, while still not covering the work of other architects in town a single time. One commenter in a previous post of mine accused me of cronyism by mentioning a select group of firms often and, assumedly, playing favorites. I thought the cronyism accusation was unfair (to say the least, bucko), but I also want to be open and desirous of as wide a variety of quality designers and projects as possible.
Meanwhile, please consider visiting one, 11, or any number of these projects. It's a tough economy for every sized architecture firm, but these small firms that have stuck their necks out to build something, even as the housing boom came crashing down, deserve our attention and praise.
Brian- you should do a piece on how these types of properties have actually performed. Have any sold? How are thier developer/architects holding together financially? How many of these projects will the banks end up owning?
The sidestory here is that good design doesn't buck the market, sadly. In fact, some of these look to me like they way overshot thier respective locations in terms of what people want and what they are willing to pay for.
Posted by: T | February 23, 2009 at 10:34 AM
T, thanks for your suggestion.
Unless I'm mistaken, it still may be a little early to tell how these properties specifically are doing in real-estate terms. I'd be curious to know how architect-developed unique designs are performing in the market in general. My over-riding concern is the designs themselves, but of course you're right that we should be questioning the role and market impact of design as well, especially in this economy.
Posted by: Brian Libby | February 23, 2009 at 10:39 AM
A few of these properties have sold. Many have already had buyers lined up - but those buyers had difficulties closing on mortgages. The fact that they are still are on the market has not been for a lack of interest, but because of an absence of lending.
Posted by: JP | February 23, 2009 at 03:58 PM
A couple of the homes on the tour were still under construction. It was a little disappointing to have to browse presentation boards to get an idea of the building.
The ones that were complete were nice though. "Sum-thing new" was really impressive. It was even well furnished.
I have to say that the criticisms of the Z-haus garage and entry in a previous post were spot-on. It was not very elegant. The rest of the z-house was great though (if you don't mind stairs). I thought its massing matched the neighbors well; and the concept was followed through.
Posted by: robert | February 23, 2009 at 04:35 PM
I'm visiting Portland next week. And I'd love to do a tour of modern architecture in Portland, that Dwell seems to feature so often. I'll be there from Tuesday through Friday but I couldn't find any info online how to get one of those tours I've heard so much about! :(
I think Portland can be my future home. So I really like to see real Portland and real neighborhoods and of course, modern architecture.
Any info or tip will be truly appreciated. I'd truly appreciate any info you could share.
Posted by: Moah | April 12, 2009 at 08:35 PM