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No matter the project type, Waechter Architecture endeavors to create clear, compelling, and cost-effective architecture that transforms complex conditions into buildings of elemental beauty and enduring value. Principal Ben Waechter, FAIA will present two of the firm’s critically acclaimed and award-winning projects, both completed in 2022: The Mississippi Workshop, Waechter’s mixed-use, mass timber headquarters in Portland, and Rockwood Village, a 224-unit affordable housing community in Gresham.
The presentation will share specific lessons from these projects, thoughts on designing successful workplace, mixed-use, and multifamily housing projects, and equally, insights into Waechter’s creative process and firm-wide commitment to clarity.
This DDS Presentation Sponsored by:
Project 1: Mississippi Workshop
The Mississippi Workshop is a 10,000sf mixed-use, mass timber building located on a prominent commercial avenue in Portland, Oregon. The project was designed, developed, and built by Waechter Architecture as a proving ground for sustainable building systems and ‘all-wood’ construction technologies, and as a forum for new creative conversations.
Mississippi is the first commercial project in Oregon to use mass timber construction for all components of the building’s structure and spatial definition. Other than a ‘rain jacket’ of weathering steel and radiant concrete flooring, all surfaces within the building are exposed wood without the need for additional finishes or fireproofing. This approach creates a simplicity and wholeness that is absent in standard CLT or traditional frame construction and creates spaces with uncommon warmth, beauty, and durability.
The building is organized as six equal rooms, stacked in three tiers on each side of a shared courtyard. Currently housing retail, workshop, creative office, and residential uses, these clear span volumes are proportioned to accommodate a range of functions and may be outfitted for autonomous use, or as an ensemble with other spaces. At the heart of Mississippi, the open-air courtyard acts as a semi-private civic space offering a retreat from the busy street, and a venue for events, presentations, and informal gatherings.
Every decision, from the building’s agile organization to the integration of healthy materials and efficient building systems embodies the principles of resilience and enduring design. The ultimate goal of the project was to create a replicable and adaptive model for a future-proof building that also possesses a strong sense of identity, grace, and permanence.
Project 2: Rockwood Village
Rockwood Village is a 7.4 acre multifamily affordable housing development that provides 224 new residences in partnership with the City of Gresham, Community Development Partners and Hacienda CDC, a local nonprofit charged with developing and delivering this important resource to underserved communities across our region.
Rockwood expands and enhances the public realm by locating the main residential buildings to the perimeter and creating a new public plaza in the heart of the complex. This central square serves the wider district by connecting along a Neighborhood Greenway, linking regional light rail to the Vance Park Natural Area.
The community was built for roughly $200 per square foot, and the innovative planning and design work was the product of close collaboration with tenants, community leaders, and stakeholders. The result yields social, economic and environmental benefits to residents and neighbors from across the region.
Collectively, Rockwood is a model for engaged and responsive design, and a contribution to the collective work to create a more equitable, sustainable and vibrant region for all.
Benjamin Waechter, FAIA, is an architect with 25 years of experience on projects across the US. He is the founder of Waechter Architecture, which was established in 2008. A native of Oregon, Ben first apprenticed with his grandfathers, an architect and a builder, and his complementary passions—nature and construction—have shaped his career ever since. To date, Waechter’s professional experience includes a range of building types, including cultural, hospitality, commercial, multi-family, affordable housing, and single-family residential.