LEVER Architecture

Redfox Commons Renovation

Redfox Commons Renovation
© Lara Swimmer

REDFOX COMMONS RENOVATION

Lever Architecture

CONTRACTOR
R&h Construction

CIVIL ENGINEER
Wdy Inc

OWNER’S PROJECT MANAGER
Alta Urban

SPECIFICATIONS
Michael Thraikill Architects

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
Shapiro Didway

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Kpff Consulting Engineers

TIMBER INSTALLER FRAMER
Wood Mechanix

DEVELOPER/CLIENT
Langley Investment Partners

OWNER’S REPRESENTATIVE
Inici Group

TIMBER INSTALLER/FRAMER
Wood Mechanix

OWNER'S PROJECT MANAGER
Alta Urban

TIMBER SUPPLIERS
Warm Springs Forest Products, Boise Cascade, Wts Wood Tech Services

AREA
60000 ft²

YEAR
2019

LOCATION
Portland, United States

CATEGORY
Office Building

Text description provided by architect.

Langley Investment Partners commissioned LEVER to design Redfox Commons, a 60,000 sf renovation that knits together two World War II era warehouses to form one light-filled creative office campus.

Redfox Commons Renovation
© Jeremy Bittermann
Redfox Commons Renovation
© Lara Swimmer

The buildings, once home to an agricultural equipment company, are located at Guild’s Lake Industrial Sanctuary, one of Portland’s largest industrial areas.

This project sits at the southern end of the industrial park, bordering a residential neighborhood, the city’s largest urban park, and the Willamette River.

Redfox Commons Renovation
© Jeremy Bittermann
Redfox Commons Renovation
© Lara Swimmer

Like many early structures in the Pacific Northwest, the buildings are framed using regionally harvested timber.

Recognizing the historic and environmental significance of this material, the renovation preserves and utilizes the original lumber.

Redfox Commons Renovation
© Jeremy Bittermann
Redfox Commons Renovation
© Jeremy Bittermann

Wood from an existing overbuilt mezzanine is repurposed to create a light-filled glass atrium that becomes the main entrance and connection between the two buildings.

The original trusses were sandblasted and remain exposed, highlighting the natural beauty of the wood.

Redfox Commons Renovation
© Jeremy Bittermann
Redfox Commons Renovation
© Jeremy Bittermann

New eighty-foot long clerestory windows were added to each roof to bring light into the large open floor plates, intended to accommodate single or multiple tenants and varied uses over time.

The rest of the material palette was selected to complement the industrial neighborhood’s history and identity; the façade and roof are clad in corrugated weathering steel and a ribbon of metal framed storefront windows provide new views to the surroundings.

Redfox Commons Renovation
© Jeremy Bittermann
Redfox Commons Renovation
© Jeremy Bittermann

A series of rain gardens mitigate storm water and a new patio and sidewalks become the first indication the neighborhood is beginning to change as envisioned under Portland’s 2035 Comprehensive Plan.


Redfox Commons Renovation
Plan
Redfox Commons Renovation
Plan


Redfox Commons Renovation

LEVER Architecture
T +1 503 9286040
LEVER Architecture
4713 N Albina Ave FOURTH FLOOR, Portland, OR 97217, United States