Hacker Architects will discuss the design and construction of their 2024 AIAO Architecture Awards Honor Award project - Ellen Browning building.

A close-knit group of family and friends developed a building of ten urban homes as a community model for aging in place in urban Portland. The building design blends variously sized homes with gardens and porches off the mixed-use streetscape. Terraced patios with leaf-etched privacy screens scale the four-story building down while creating visual and social connections between floors. A patio meets the street level for public use, alongside a free art gallery as a gift from the clients to the neighborhood. Aging is prioritized, with accessible shared social spaces, exercise, and spa amenities designed to support these friends and family as they grow older together.

Learning Objectives

1. Illustrate building design strategies used to support the tenant’s wellness and aging in place.

2. Describe overall design direction for detailing and materiality.

3. Explore how biophilia principles affected the massing and overall design direction for the project.

4. Describe the key program considerations to support community building and foster the inhabitants' social and mental wellness, addressing how shared spaces and circulation promote positive interaction and reduce isolation.